Former Protege Says Knicks Coach Under Most Pressure

The pressure's about to drop on New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau.

Thibodeau has been one of the most successful coaches of the new decade but many are expecting him to guide the Knicks to more than a first-round victory this time around. Even that will be a tall task, as Thibodeau's third-ranked Knicks face the surging Detroit Pistons in an opening round set that tips off on Saturday.

ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins took things a step further during a Monday conversation with Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, and Peter Rosenberg on ESPN New York, remarking that Thibodeau faces the "most pressure" in the NBA head coaching brotherhood.

ICYMI on @DHRonESPN:@KendrickPerkins believes Tom Thibodeau has a ton of pressure on him heading into these playoffs. pic.twitter.com/2YFZfzcORr
— ESPN New York (@ESPNNewYork) April 15, 2025

"I think Tom Thibodeau is under the most pressure, probably, [among] any coach in the NBA," Perkins told the afternoon trio. "I've got to call it like I see it: Tom Thibodeau at least has to, at a bare minimum, force a seven-game series against the Boston Celtics in order to keep his job."

Perkins cited a recent epidemic of surprising firings in the NBA (i.e. Taylor Jenkins in Memphis, Michael Malone in Denver) and Mikal Bridges' concerns about an excessive workload for the Knicks' starting five as evidence for his claim.

It may have hurt Perkins, a frequent defender of Knicks among national pundits, to make such a case, as he referred to the coach as his "Ubuntu brother for life" after they won a championship with the Celtics in 2008 (Thibodeau was an assistant coach under Doc Rivers).

Many teams would no doubt kill to have the season the Knicks supposedly endured: in Thibodeau's fifth season at the helm, New York (51-31) won at least half-a-hundred for the first time since 1991-95 and sent two (Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns) to the NBA All-Star Game.

However, the Knicks' highly-publicized struggles against the Association's elite (0-10 against the current podium of Oklahoma City, Cleveland, and Boston) has got observers talking about Thibodeau's job security, even if he just signed a contract extension last offseason.

Like the Knicks, Thibodeau is also looking to rise above postseason mediocrity: he's seeking his first conference finals appearance since his maiden head coach voyage with the Chicago Bulls in 2011 while the Knicks themselves have not reached the national semifinal round since 2000, which is currently the fourth-longest drought in the East (behind Washington, Charlotte, and Philadelphia).

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