Towns under fire in New York

As New York bows out to Indiana for the second year in a row, the knives are out. The franchise remains on the right path—stacked with talent and finally sparking excitement even among the most jaded fans. The names Ewing, Marbury, Starks and Houston still echo in the minds of the loyal Knickerbocker faithful, and for a while, the spirit of those golden years seemed to be back. The casual, vacationing crowds at Madison Square Garden had something real to cheer for again, and Tom Thibodeau’s squad looked like the real deal. But under the surface, as always in defeat, the cracks start to show.

Jalen Brunson tried to shield his coach in the postgame press conference at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. “You’re asking me if he’s the right man for the job? Yes, he is,” he snapped, dropping the mic and walking out, visibly irritated by the question. Both team president Leon Rose and franchise star Brunson are fully behind Thibodeau—divisive as ever, beloved and scrutinized in equal measure. His hardline coaching style, refined through stints in Chicago and Minnesota, leaves little room for compromise. He relies on a tight rotation, gives limited minutes to the bench, and often pays the price. The high-stakes super lineup, pulled together last summer thanks to the Towns trade, has simply not delivered.

Knicks shook things up - too late

That’s where the production was supposed to come from. Even Thibodeau, famously inflexible, had to stir the pot. In the latest series against Indiana, he benched the ironman Josh Hart and brought back Mitchell Robinson—despite the center being exposed against Boston for his free-throw struggles. Too late, perhaps, he also dusted off Delon Wright and Landry Shamet. The original plan was sinking fast. Assuming he keeps his job—with owner James Dolan’s blessing—it’ll be telling to see whether Thibodeau finally commits to a deeper rotation or doubles down on his old-school ways.

Both offense and defense are under the microscope. Even with a trip to the conference finals and a clear step forward in the East, glaring flaws emerged—unmistakable and unmissable. In The Athletic, reporters James Edwards and Fred Katz outlined some of the internal concerns. There were unfiltered, painful losses where the Knicks failed to show their usual edge. The problem? Star power—and the lack of it beyond the starting five. One stat says it all: in the calendar year, the Towns–Anunoby–Bridges–Hart–Brunson starting lineup has a negative net rating, giving up more than they produce per 100 possessions. So what went wrong?

Miles McBride, a key contributor over the past two seasons as Brunson’s relief, faded in the biggest moments. Hart was sidelined. The Villanova core, once seen as a strength, lost its punch, not least due to Mikal Bridges’ inconsistency. Only Anunoby escapes criticism, praised for his relentless impact. But much of the locker-room frustration centers on one man: Towns. Brought in to elevate the team to elite status, he’s under the microscope. And his postseason was a tale of two versions: at times brilliant against the Pistons and Pacers, yet ultimately falling short.

“Publicly, Knicks players made veiled comments all season about poor communication causing their inconsistencies. Behind the scenes, they and coaches expressed frustration with Towns’ defensive habits — less concerned with his talent level and more with his process on that end," reads the report. Too often, Towns executed incorrect coverages without communicating why he did it. After it became a theme, players worried Towns didn’t grasp the importance of the matter.

That’s on defense. On offense, the issue was chemistry—specifically, the failure to develop a reliable pick-and-roll dynamic between Towns and Brunson. Both are agile and versatile, dangerous at all ranges, yet never clicked in a system that should have been second nature. Towns, after all, has played for Thibodeau before in Minnesota. These plays should have been automatic.

P.J. Tucker, a veteran glue guy

Tensions weren’t just on the court. One thing insiders highlighted was the unusually high number of closed-door player meetings during the playoffs—rare at this stage of the season. But clearly needed. Communication is a known weakness in this Knicks group. Hart made that clear publicly, calling for greater commitment from teammates. Bridges criticized the heavy-minute strategy imposed by the coaching staff. Both players saw their performances dip in the closing stretch.

To address issues like these, there’s real value in having seasoned veterans who don’t need to touch the floor to make an impact. P.J. Tucker, 40 years old and an NBA champion with the Bucks in 2021, fits that mold. Signed to a 10-day contract in March and kept on afterward, he became a key locker-room figure. Whether he stays or not, the Knicks will need more of his kind—strong, unifying voices who can help this group stay tight on their climb to the NBA’s summit.

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