NBA veteran guard Jeff Teague is speaking out about his experience playing under former Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau, addressing misconceptions that Thibodeau is a difficult coach to play for. In an episode of his podcast “Club 520,” Teague shared an impression of Thibodeau’s coaching style, saying he doesn’t micromanage or dictate every move on the court.
“Thibs has got a way of letting you be you,” Teague said. “He really don’t say s—t …. He just kind of be like, ‘Damn!’ That’s all he say … You can shoot any time. You can run anything.”
Teague played under Thibodeau in Minnesota from 2017-19 and praised his ability to let players express themselves on the court. Despite being known for his defensive prowess, Teague believes Thibodeau needs to trust his assistants and allow for more creativity on offense.
The Knicks fired Thibodeau after a six-game loss to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals. Teague thinks Thibodeau was unfairly fired and suggests that he should have been given more freedom to implement his coaching style.
Thibodeau has led the Knicks to back-to-back 50-win seasons for the first time since 1995, but he struggled with a 97-107 record in Minnesota during his tenure as team president.
Source: https://nypost.com/2025/06/04/sports/jeff-teague-addresses-tom-thibodeau-coaching-style-after-knicks-firing