Trooper Lance Thomas to start opening night
Lance Thomas has drawn raves from coaches for years for his work ethic and leadership. But none of those coaches have ever felt so strongly that they were willing to make him the opening night starter.
Until now.
And maybe in a perfect world he wouldn’t be an opening night starter for this year’s Knicks squad, either. If Kristaps Porzingis were healthy he would certainly be the starting power forward, and maybe if Courtney Lee was healthy he would push Kevin Knox over a spot and Thomas back to the bench.
But with this roster and these conditions, coach David Fizdale has no qualms about declaring Thomas his starter.
“Yeah, right now I think that’s going to be in the books,” Fizdale said. “The way he came out and attacked summer … he’s 30 years old and he was in the gym with our guys seven weeks before training camp and that just says a lot about who he is. It carried right into camp. I think you can see the way he’s playing.
“He’s playing great basketball right out of the gate and very aggressive. His defense has been fantastic. Leadership-wise, he’s like my whistle. Every time I try to get the team’s attention, I don’t have to blow the whistle because he’s the one saying , ‘Yo, listen, here we go.’ Third quarters, he’s the one getting them out of the locker room saying, ‘Let’s go, let’s go.’ So he’s been fantastic and I think the guys really trust him, so I just like the way he’s gone about it.”
The Knicks are building for the future, so a 30-year-old journeyman might not seem likely to grab minutes. Knox, a 19-year-old rookie, has started all of the preseason games, and 20-year-old Frank Ntilikina got the start at point guard Monday against the Wizards.
In his prior seven seasons, Thomas has never been an opening night starter, and in some of those years not even assured of a roster spot. When he came to the Knicks in a three-team trade in 2015, he was waived then signed back on a 10-day contract before earning his contract.
“One, it’s an honor being from here,” he said. “I wear that Knicks uniform with pride and I’m going to continue to fight while it’s across my chest every time I step on the floor with this jersey on. I plan on being exhausted after the game and that’s something that I want everyone that’s on this team, especially the young guys, to understand. Play like you’re playing for your home team. What effort would you give if you were playing in front of your team that you grew up with? That’s the approach I go with every time I play that night and I want to make sure all the guys have that.”
Thomas is a Brooklyn native who went to high school in New Jersey before heading to Duke University. But he went undrafted in 2011, with six of the players who were chosen never playing in the league. Since then it has been a battle to find a spot and a role. In New York he found that role, but it mostly has been vocal leader rather than in-game contributor.
“I’m not worried about that,” he said. “I’m going to continue to work. Anything can happen. But as long as I keep my head down and work and let guys follow suit, that is my job for the team.
“I think it’s more magnified at that point, but I was always doing that even from the bench, screaming our coverages from the bench, calling what I see when guys come back from the huddle or come to the bench. I’m asking them questions, what did they see … what I saw, and if a guy is in a funk I know how to get him out of it. That just comes from time and experience. I’m going to continue to take it to another level.”
Notes & quotes: Enes Kanter was held out for what Fizdale said was a rest day. Mitchell Robinson (ankle) and Courtney Lee (neck) were sidelined again.
