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How the Knicks Became a Haven of Player Development
With a philosophy of "no wasted minutes" and a focus on key skills, the Knicks have been great at maximizing players' potential.
Omar Zahran
December 5th, 2024
About a month ago, there was a clip that circulated of Deuce McBride providing some words of encouragement and direction to rookie center Ariel Hukporti. Speaking on garbage time minutes, McBride said:
“Don’t throw these minutes away. That’s how I earned minutes. That’s how I earned it, in this little time. That’s how he builds trust.”
It was a moment of true leadership from McBride, who has become a crucial piece to this Knicks team, now operating as the sixth man. Knicks rookies Ariel Hukporti, Pacome Dadiet, and Tyler Kolek need to look no further than the development of McBride to see the path to their potential success in the NBA.
Since Leon Rose and Tom Thibodeau took over, the Knicks have turned into one of the strongest developmental programs in the NBA. They have displayed strong evaluation skills and patience, turning raw prospects into functional NBA players. They have done this through game action, the utilization of the G League, and not wasting opportunities when they present themselves.
Scouting Key Attributes
One of the keys to the Knicks’ success during the Thibodeau era has been identity. Specifically, the team values three things above all else:
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