Knicks' Jalen Brunson Was In Utter Disbelief Over Tom Thibodeau Postgame Question

The star point guard couldn't believe he was asked about his faith in the Knicks' head coach.
Brunson couldn't believe he got asked about his faith in Tom Thibodeau
Brunson couldn't believe he got asked about his faith in Tom Thibodeau / SNY
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The New York Knicks got knocked out of the playoffs on Saturday night by the Indiana Pacers, and change is inevitable in the coming offseason. It may not be big change, as was the case last offseason when the franchise acquired both Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns. But NBA teams will always tinker with the organization in an effort to garner the final edge needed to win a title.

Star point guard Jalen Brunson was asked about one such change in his postgame press conference after the crushing Game 6 defeat. He was left in disbelief by the question.

A reporter asked Brunson if he felt head coach Tom Thibodeau was the right man to lead his team to the next level of championship content. Brunson's response was brief and frank in equal measure.

"Is that a real question right now?" Brunson said. "You just asked me if I believe that he's the right guy? Yes. Come on."

Thibodeau has overseen a revitalization of the entire franchise, arriving in 2020 and leading the Knicks to four winning seasons in the last five years. But he has some tendencies that have proven difficult to shake and have served as obstacles to championship contention, such as his refusal to lean on the bench or reluctance to adjust schematically in the playoffs. Those issues hurt the Knicks this postseason and will be examined under a microscope this offseason.

According to a report from The Athletic published shortly after the loss, Thibodeau has the full support of both team president Leon Rose and Brunson himself. That report coupled with Thibodeau's three-year extension signed last offseason means a change at head coach seems mighty unlikely. And Brunson would not be happy about it if his demeanor above is any indication.


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Liam McKeone
LIAM MCKEONE

Liam McKeone is a senior writer for the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has been in the industry as a content creator since 2017, and prior to joining SI in May 2024, McKeone worked for NBC Sports Boston and The Big Lead. In addition to his work as a writer, he has hosted the Press Pass Podcast covering sports media and The Big Stream covering pop culture. A graduate of Fordham University, he is always up for a good debate and enjoys loudly arguing about sports, rap music, books and video games. McKeone has been a member of the National Sports Media Association since 2020.