For three years in a row, New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau has been voted the coach players least want to play for, according to an anonymous player poll by The Athletic.
But Knicks star guard Jalen Brunson knows what Thibodeau is really like and has the utmost respect for him.
In an interview with Bleacher Report's Taylor Rooks, Brunson said he has great appreciation for Thibodeau's preparation, saying it makes all players better.
"One thing I've learned from him: you will be prepared for a game," Brunson said. "He will bring out the dog in you. He's going to make you play a certain style — you're going to buy into it ... You're going to like it because it's going to make you a better competitor, it's going to make you wanna be the best player you can be."
Brunson continued, reiterating what many have said about Thibodeau in the past: the man lives in his office preparing for games.
"This man has been in the gym since 6 A.M. this morning and when I come back from night shooting before a game, which is around 7 or 8, he's still in the gym," Brunson said. "So, he's there all day. And he has a beautiful house! ... If I was him, I would live there. But this man is just dedicated to what he wants to do. And it's win. He is a competitor. He loves to compete, even as a coach. It's amazing to see."
Brunson added: "He's always going to be on, he's always going to be pushing you, and you're going to enjoy it because it's going to help you win."
Brunson also reiterated what his teammate Josh Hart has said in defending Thibodeau: his practices aren't that hard.
"Our practices are intense mentally vs. physically," Brunson said.
Brunson said that as the season goes on, practices get less and less physical and more about mental preparation for games. He said Thibodeau only demands that players come into training camp in shape.
Thibodeau himself has defended his practices, saying his critics don't understand that he knows how to pace a team over the course of an 82-game season.
Though the Knicks ran out of steam in this year's playoffs — due to injuries as much as anything — there's no doubt about the effect Thibodeau has had on the franchise. The Knicks have made the playoffs three times in four years under Thibodeau and won playoff series two years in a row, their best stretch of success in two decades.
Thibodeau is up for a contract extension this summer — one he seems bound to get.
It certainly seems he has Brunson's stamp of approval.
"I wanted a situation to lead a team," Brunson said of joining the Knicks. "And [Thibodeau] is helping me do that."
Watch the clip below:
