Knicks finding offense to go with Tom Thibodeau's 'D'
Derrick Rose #4 of the New York Knicks controls the ball in the second half against Cade Cunningham #2 of the Detroit Pistons at Madison Square Garden on Friday, Oct. 21, 2022 in New York City. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Derrick Rose considered the question carefully, pausing to think before he answered. Rose knows Tom Thibodeau better than anyone else on the Knicks, having spent most of his career listening to the bark and growl of the defensive-minded head coach.
So, two games into the season, with Thibodeau screaming on every possession loudly and insistently, “Run,” could the coach be happy with a fast-paced, high-scoring offensive team?
“I can’t say that he’s a layman in that area where everybody is trying to figure out what type of team we have out there,” Rose said after the Knicks 130-106 win over the Detroit Pistons Friday. “I know he can’t complain. Just like everyone else. Defense is his No. 1 approach but if you’re scoring 110,115, it’s hard to beat a team that’s scoring consistently like that.”
While Rose has heard the defensive focus for years, he also has spurred offenses for Thibodeau in every stop and Friday night’s home opener was no different with Rose leading the second unit with 13 points and six assists in 16 minutes. He was a plus-23 in his time on the floor, pushing the pace as the bench grouping — Rose, Obi Toppin, Immanuel Quickley, Cam Reddish and Isaiah Hartenstein — turned the game into a blowout.
But it wasn’t just the bench. The Knicks starters played the same way, sharing the ball from the opening minutes. Jalen Brunson’s arrival at point guard seems to have gotten the starting lineup to share the ball. Brunson has piled up 15 assists in the first two games without a turnover, but he’s hardly been alone. The team had 29 assists Friday.
This all comes with a small sample size disclaimer. The Knicks are two games into the season and the 112 points scored in Memphis came in an overtime game. But the Knicks ranked 29th in pace last season and through two games are 17th in pace and fifth in scoring.
“Everyone’s just playing off of each other,” Brunson said. “It’s contagious. The fact that we have guys that are willing to do so makes it that much easier. The team had a mindset and continue to just keep playing together.”
“When we get stops and we get it up the floor quickly and we move without the ball, we’re hard to guard,” Thibodeau said. “And the playmaking was great. When you play the game that way, the game is easy for everyone. But it requires a lot of energy and it requires sacrifice.
“It’s not just playing fast, and you don’t want to take reckless shots, but you got to move without the ball and you got to move with pace. And so, getting it up fast is the initial part, but creating the movement is the secondary part that’s equally important, and then when we put it down and we drive the ball, attack the rim.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
