Former New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau is currently without a coaching job in the NBA, but that hasn’t stopped him from paying a visit to some other teams’ practices.
Former Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau visits Celtics practice
On Monday, the longtime head coach was spotted at the Boston Celtics’ practice facility. According to Celtics guard Jaylen Brown, Thibodeau gave them advice and intel about how the Knicks were able to defeat the Celtics in the playoffs last year and what Boston can do to correct that.
“Obviously, they eliminated us last year, so him being able to give us some of the thoughts that he saw in that series, some of the things that they broke down … helps us grow and learn from that,” Brown said.
The Knicks took the Celtics in six games of the second round last season, something that very few people saw coming. Evidently, Thibodeau outcoached Joe Mazzulla during that series and was able to come out on top in the end.
The Knicks moved on from Thibodeau this summer
Unfortunately, that luck ran out for New York in the Eastern Conference Finals, as they would be taken down by the Indiana Pacers in six games. Ultimately, the Knicks decided to fire Thibodeau upon the season’s end.
They replaced Thibodeau with Mike Brown, who they hope will help transform their offense into a juggernaut. Brown has also been in coaching circles for a long time and seems to be a better fit for this roster.
It is still unknown what lies ahead for Thibodeau after his five-year tenure with New York comes to an end. Whether or not this visit with the Celtics is any indication of what’s to come remains to be seen, but it will be interesting to see if it has an effect on their matchups this year.