It's probably no coincidence that the New York Knicks have won their last two games after head coach Tom Thibodeau's decision to tweak his rotation. There have been increased roles and more playing time for New York's younger players on the roster and it seems like this move has bear fruit for the 12-13 Knicks.
If you ask coach Thibs, however, the veteran shot-caller has, as expected, played down this recent shift in mentality. According to Thibodeau, he doesn't look at the age of his players. Rather, he just tries to find the best combinations his team can put out on the basketball court:
“You guys probably get wrapped up in that more than I do. I know it’s trendy in the league. To me, whether you’re young or old doesn’t really matter,” Thibodeau said, via Peter Botte of the New York Times. “It’s how does it fit together, how does it work together, can we get out there and play hard and smart and together? Those are the things that you want to evaluate.”
Be that as it may, there's no denying that guys like Immanuel Quickley and Obi Toppin (who unfortunately suffered an injury recently) have gotten increased roles this season. Young guns such as Quentin Grimes, Miles McBride, and Jericho Sims have likewise been afforded more playing time of late, particularly after veterans Evan Fournier and Derrick Rose both lost their spots in the rotation.
Coach Thibodeau admitted that he's been impressed with what the “kids” have brought to the table thus far, and it sounds like he's going to be riding out the wave, so to speak, for the foreseeable future.
“I like how our young guys work. I knew when we got them from the very first day, you could see it,” Thibodeau said. “You could see it in practice. You could see how they approach things. You could see how competitive they are.
“So usually those are the characteristics that drive achievement when you look at how competitive a guy is. What’s their work ethic like? What’s their toughness like? What’s their mental quickness like? You look at all those intangibles. What are the things that drive achievement? And they fit the bill.”
There's a lot to be excited about for the Knicks and their future, and it seems like it's beginning to take shape now. New York isn't exactly a favorite in the East at the moment, but if the development of their young studs continues at this pace, then you can't say that this team won't be a problem in the conference.
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