Tom Thibodeau Says Knicks Have 'Big Offseason' Ahead After ECF Loss to Pacers
Tom Thibodeau is bracing for a pivotal offseason after his New York Knicks came two wins short of the 2025 NBA Finals.
"Like you would do after every season, you take a step back, I think decompress, you do a deep dive on the team, and then you analyze what you think you need to improve upon," Thibodeau said after the Knicks' Saturday night Eastern Conference finals elimination by the Indiana Pacers.
"And then we have the draft, and then there's free agency, and there's trades, and then there's the internal development. And then it's the study and preparation for next season.
"So, it's a big offseason for us."
The Knicks were eliminated from the conference finals with a 125-108 Game 6 loss in Indianapolis.
When asked if the Knicks roster as currently constructed would be capable of "taking the next step," Thibodeau answered, "Yeah."
"We finished in the top three, but we're falling short of the ultimate goal," Thibodeau said (h/t SNY.) "For us, it's to use that for motivation and determination to work all summer, to prepare ourselves, to make the final step, and keep improving so we can achieve our goal. I think that's the way we have to approach it."
The Knicks were a 19-win team before Thibodeau took over ahead of the 2020-21 season.
He has since coached the Knicks to two consecutive 50-win campaigns and three straight playoff runs, the longest of which ended in Saturday's conference finals elimination.
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle praised Thibodeau's work with the Knicks in his own postgame press conference.
"He's turned the culture, completely flipped from what it was," Carlisle said about Thibodeau.
But anything short of a trip to the NBA Finals next year will be seen as a disappointment for a Knicks team built to win around Jalen Brunson.
The Knicks are heading into the offseason as a projected first-apron team, according to ESPN's Bobby Marks.
The franchise has the core five players locked in through next season, but the Knicks are left with decisions to make on half of the remaining roster with nine players potentially heading to free agency.
