Tom Thibodeau Era Was A Massive Success For The Knicks: From Lottery Team To Contenders In Five Years

As one of the NBA's most popular franchises, all eyes will be on the New York Knicks this summer as they try to build up their roster. This season, after finishing third in the East (51-31), the Knicks made a run to the Conference Finals before being eliminated by the Indiana Pacers in six games.

But ahead of the NBA Finals, the Knicks made their latest move of the summer, and it's their most controversial yet: firing Tom Thibodeau. The veteran coach was on the job for five years before being dismissed, and the team will have a lot of work ahead in finding his replacement.

Despite his flaws and questionable tactics, the Thibs is largely considered a success for what he was able to accomplish during his tenure. Unlike many coaches before him, Thibs left the Knicks better off than when he arrived, and now they are in a position to contend for years to come.

Knicks before Thibodeau (2013-2020)
- No culture
-.309 win percentage (30th in the NBA)
- Zero playoff appearances

Knicks under Thibodeau (2020-2025)
- Winning culture
- 56.5% win percentage (8th in the NBA)
-Four playoff appearances

Before Thibodeau was hired in July 2020, the Knicks were the laughing stock of the league and on the fast track to nowhere. On the court, their roster was a jumbled mess that won just 31% of their games in six years. By the summer of the pandemic, the team was already on a seven-year playoff drought.

Worst of all, the franchise had no culture. After years of losing and cycling through stars, the Knicks had developed a loser's mentality that infected the entire roster. Stars avoided joining the team, and the fans were stricken with embarrassment watching them fail over and over again.

It wasn't until Thibs got there that things finally started to change. Using his prior experience with the Bulls and Timberwolves, the coach began to instill a proper championship culture in the locker room that eventually began to flip the team's trajectory.

Under Thibodeau's watch, the Knicks went from a 30-win team to a regular playoff team, winning 56.5% of their games over five years. In 2024, they made the Eastern Semifinals against the Pacers before their most recent run to the NBA Finals this spring.

Today, even after firing their coach, the Knicks are in a respectable state with plenty of talent, a positive culture, and assets to build toward the future. Even with as much as they've grown over the years, the franchise does not intend to stop its momentum, and they will spend the next few months making moves to pursue the NBA championship.

While Thibs is no longer a part of the journey, his role in building what they've become has not been lost, and it will never be forgotten. As a team on the rise now, the Knicks must stop focusing on the past and instead prioritize the offseason. 

If they play their cards right, the Knicks can become the best team in the East with the right coach and a superstar to lead them. Whatever happens next, Tom Thibodeau deserves some credit for his role in helping create this dynasty in the East.