Kevin Garnett on why Tom Thibodeau is the best coach for the Knicks: "He is built for what New York is"

The New York Knicks , who have recently experienced their best season since their 1999 NBA Finals appearance, are now faced with the challenge of maintaining this momentum. However, a second-round appearance is not enough to satisfy the fans in a city like New York. As the team and its supporters look ahead to the next season, the question of further improving the team's chances of success is already being explored.

One point of discussion is head coach Tom Thibodeau . Although the 66-year-old has led the Knicks to three playoff appearances in the last four seasons, his reputation for wearing players out is well-known, leading some to ask if he is the right man for the job.

This season, the Knicks were the NBA's version of the walking wounded, with Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson, and OG Anunoby missing chunks of the season due to various injuries. In the playoffs, Thibs relied heavily on Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo, and Josh Hart, playing them more than 40 minutes a game. In fact, Hart played all 48 minutes of a game twice in the semifinal series versus the Indiana Pacers. As courageous as it was, this approach backfired as the injury-decimated Knicks were eliminated in seven games.

One NBA legend who recently backed Thibs is Kevin Garnett . He emphasized that the former's penchant for making tough personnel decisions, no matter how unpopular, is what this franchise needs.

KG loves Thibodeau in NY

Thibs is as stubborn as they come. He showed it in Chicago when he rode the likes of Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, and Luol Deng until the wheels fell off. He did the same in Minnesota with Jimmy Butler, Andrew Wiggins, and Karl-Anthony Towns. So, it isn't surprising that this year's NBA player poll from The Athletic named him as the coach players don't want to play for.

KG acknowledges all the criticism but firmly believes that, at some point, the Knicks coach will adapt.

"We're watching so much transition from players to players, right? We're watching LeBron, KD, Steph—everybody's coming down the line. We see the emergence of all these other great stars and this beautiful talent. I really think it parallels with the coaching too. A lot of the old school coaches are going to have to start considering this new style, these new ways of doing things," the Hall of Famer said on "The Stephen A. Smith Show."

Garnett understands where the critics are coming from. After all, you can't play someone the entire game and expect them to still be fresh and spry down the stretch.

"My only knock on Thibs is just that, bro, Josh Hart played three games. Bro, he can't get 10 minutes (of rest)? He can't get it?" the former league MVP asked.

Built for the grind of NYC

The biggest reason why KG is backing Thibs is because of the culture of toughness and grit that he has helped cultivate in the Knicks' locker room. New York could have easily packed it in when they lost Randle for the season due to a shoulder injury. However, instead of folding, the team battled through those injuries and gave the Pacers all they had before losing in Game 7.

"You can't cheat the work, you can't cheat the culture, you can't shortcut it. I love Thibs because he's built for what New York is," KG added. "Thibs also is a great coach in understanding the culture and making those changes. I think Thibs can actually make some of these changes that we're talking about. I think that he is the coach that you want coaching this team."

Thibs may get a bad rep for how he coaches players hard, but to KG, that's exactly what the Knicks need. With Thibs at the helm, they have a coach who won't let them take shortcuts or slack off: a true-blue taskmaster.

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