Tom Thibodeau first planted his Knicks roots when he joined the coaching staff as an assistant for the 1996-97 season.
By that time, Patrick Ewing had just finished his ninth straight All-Star selection, had led the Knicks to an NBA Finals appearance, and was on his way to becoming one of the greatest players in franchise history.
When Thibodeau returned to New York this past offseason for his first year as head coach, he saw flashes of Ewing in Julius Randle.
"His commitment, I could see it from the first day I met him, just looking at the type of conditioning he had and his commitment to turning this thing around," Thibodeau said after Saturday's win over the Raptors. "I can recall back in the 90s when I first arrived as an assistant, the thing that blew me away was Patrick Ewing, was every morning in the offseason he was the first guy in the building and worked like crazy, and the rest of the team did the same."
Randle has only raised the bar for Thibodeau since those offseason workouts. He logged another 30-point double-double on Saturday, and has been the driving force behind the team's nine-game winning streak. Seen as a disappointment a year ago, Randle turned himself into an All-Star this year, and will certainly command All-NBA consideration by the time the season is over.
It is one of the most drastic one-year improvements in recent memory, but it's not a surprise for Thibodeau, who saw it unfold since before the season began.
"It always starts with your best players, and if they work like that, it sets the tone for the team," Thibodeau said. "He's relentless. It's not an accident that he's having the type of season that he's having."
The season Randle is having is as unexpected as it is impressive. He's averaging a career-high 23.9 points per game, is shooting 41 percent from three has nearly doubled his previous best assist total, logging 6.1 assist per game. Thanks to Randle, excitement at the Garden is the highest it's been since reaching the conference semifinals in 2013.
For Thibodeau, he doesn't flash back to 2013 when he thinks of Randle. He flashes back to the last true golden age of Knicks basketball.
"That's leadership," Thibodeau said. "It's not what you say, it's what you do. When you see an example like that, it gives you confidence and gives the team confidence."
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