If you told a basketball fan even three years ago that a Tom Thibodeau-led team would lead the NBA in most offensive metrics and effortlessly score 130-plus points every other night, they’d have laughed at you.
Thibodeau had gained such a reputation as a defensive-minded coach that many felt he was almost incapable of coaching offense. Between the 2012-13 and 2014-15 seasons, his Bulls teams finished in the bottom half on offense, and that pattern followed in his two-and-a-half-year stint as Timberwolves head coach.
In his first two seasons in New York, the trend continued as the team finished 22nd (2020-21) and 23rd (2021-22) on offense but held its own on the defensive end.
All that changed when Jalen Brunson signed with the Knicks in the 2022 offseason. Since then, the Knicks have finished fourth (2022-23) and seventh (2023-24) on offense and have taken a giant stride this year with the second-best offensive rating of 120.2.
The Knicks’ explosive offense was on display again Monday when they smoked the Raptors, 139-125, to improve to 19-10.
The Knicks managed 139 points even with Jalen Brunson (12 points) having an off night — an inconceivable scenario even a year ago. The Knicks similarly drubbed the Pelicans on Saturday when Karl-Anthony Towns (11 points) had an off night.
