The Knicks have improved dramatically with first-year head coach Tom Thibodeau, winning 18 of his first 35 games after needing 60 games to secure total victory last season.
Take it to a member of his 21-45 squad in 2019-20, a player who was in the wrong end of grazing Sunday 109-90 in Detroit.
“Start with the job,” Pistons guard Wayne Ellington said when asked about the Knicks after the game. “These guys, I was in New York last year and talking to Julius [Randle] before the game, and he would say to me, “Man, it’s completely different, it’s night and day.”
“Just our approach, our mindset, how Thibs makes these guys work and how it makes them compete on the ground. It’s a process. They have a lot of the same things they had last year. These young guys have taken a step forward and they’re learning to play and win. And it’s showing. “
Ellington, who has played on nine teams for 12 NBA seasons, appeared in 36 games (a start) under coaches David Fizdale and Mike Miller with the Knicks last season.
The 33-year-old goalkeeper also praised his former team’s defense on Sunday night, saying the Pistons “didn’t move the ball” enough and didn’t “kick it out” to try for 3 points.
“That’s part of his defense that Thibs preaches, he wants to get the paint out,” Ellington said. “They are a team with a lot of paint. We went into the painting a couple of times and blocked some shots instead of making it out. ”
The Knicks recorded seven blocked shots, including three from Nerlens Noel, in the win. After Tuesday’s game in San Antonio, the Knicks will once again face the worst Pistons of the conference Thursday in the garden before the stars ’break this weekend.