Tom Thibodeau is reportedly the New York Knicks' top choice to take the job of head coach by the start of the 2020-21 season. Yet there are some doubts about his fit with a young team.

A recent discussion with NBA coaches mulled a few roadblocks for the veteran coach if he winds up getting the Knicks job. While his defensive genius has been long praised, there are a few areas where the old-school Thibodeau falls short.

Thibodeau has been known to be a nonstop worker and a coach who trusts his veteran players but also grinds them to a pulp. That demanding personality the potential Knicks coach has extends to his young players, which has been known to cause a strong disconnect with the new era of players:

“That hard edge, it doesn't work now. In 2008, maybe it worked some of the time. In this generation, I'm positive that it doesn't work,” a coach told SNY's Ian Begley. “In the NBA to be an elite coach, you've got to have an edge but you can't be crazy. To coach players and hold them accountable you have to find that balance. You don't compromise your authority, but this generation communicates differently.”

Coaches who have succeeded in the past decade have had a good mix of edgy and nurturing. The likes of Steve Kerr, Brad Stevens, and other young coaches have found a way to walk that line — a concept Thibodeau has yet to prove he can grasp and would have to in order to turn the Knicks around.

If the defensive mastermind is still set in his ways, he could fail sooner than later at the head of a young Knicks roster with a lack of a clear direction.

Thibodeau must learn to deal with mistakes if he's going to have success, as he's bound to see plenty with a Knicks team that has drafted in the lottery for the bulk of the past decade.