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The New York Knicks have shown a marked improvement so far in head coach Tom Thibodeau’s first season in charge, compiling an 11-13 record and the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference standings heading into Sunday's game against the Miami Heat.
Despite the Knicks' encouraging start, there are those who say that Thibodeau has been hesitant to give more playing time to some of his younger players, a reputation that followed him from his coaching stints with the Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves. This latest criticism stems from the relatively low playing time for rookies Immanuel Quickley and Obi Toppin. Quickley's minutes (19.0 MPG) compared to veteran Elfrid Payton's playing time (28.4 MPG) has been a real point of contention.
When asked by Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News if the reputation is a fair one, the 63-year-old coach refuted the claim by citing a player he worked with in the past: Derrick Rose, who Thibs used to coach with the Bulls and Timberwolves and is about to coach again thanks to a trade with the Detroit Pistons.
Today when I asked Thibodeau if his reputation for being hesitant to give young players minutes was fair, guess who he brought up?
"Derrick Rose is the youngest MVP in the history of the league. So I don't worry about that stuff."
— Stefan Bondy (@SbondyNBA) February 7, 2021
When Thibodeau first became head coach of the Bulls in 2010, Rose was the team’s rising star who had just been named to his first All-Star Game in his second season. Under Thibs' guidance, the first overall pick of the 2008 NBA Draft blossomed into one of the game’s best players, becoming the league MVP in 2011.
During his MVP season, Rose averaged 25.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, 7.7 assists, and a steal while shooting 44.5% from the field and 33.2% from beyond the arc. He played 81 games that year under Thibodeau and averaged 37.4 minutes per game, proving his coach’s point that he does give playing time to the younger players on his teams.
Of course, there have been other examples throughout the years of Thibs trusting vets over young players, including in the current situation. It will be interesting to see how much Quickley plays once Rose comes aboard.
