New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns had nothing but good things to say about head coach Tom Thibodeau after reuniting with the former two-time NBA Coach of the Year this offseason. Knicks: Karl-Anthony Towns lauds HC Tom Thibodeau’s winning acumen Towns, who was traded to the Knicks from the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sept. 28, spoke with NBA analyst and Pro Football Hall-of-Famer Shannon Sharpe on the latter’s “Club Shay Shay” podcast on Wednesday about playing under coach “Thibs” once again, saying this in part (h/t: Bleacher Report’s Joseph Zucker): “You know what I respected so, so much about [Tom Thibodeau] is that he wanted to win,” Towns told Sharpe “And he put the hours in and he put the work in.
Playing for Thibs was just watching someone who truly loves what they do and puts all their passion and their life mission is being the best coach they can be.” Coach Thibodeau was instrumental in developing Towns at the start of his career The Kentucky product was referencing his first spell playing for coach Thibodeau in Minnesota between 2016 and 2019. During that time, the defensive-minded team leader helped bring the T-Wolves back into playoff prominence at a critical juncture in Towns’ career.
Minnesota went from 31 wins in his first year at their helm to 47 wins and an eighth-seeded finish in the Western Conference a year later, breaking a 13-year franchise playoff drought. Towns — drafted No. 1 overall in 2015 — spent those three seaso.
