Randle, Barrett credit Thibodeau for Knicks' winning start

The New York Knicks have won four of five following Monday's 113-108 victory over the Atlanta Hawks, and key contributors Julius Randle and RJ Barrett believe head coach Tom Thibodeau deserves much of the credit.

"Every game we come in we expect to win, even if it's a (tough) matchup, we expect to win the game," Randle told SNY's Coby Green.

"And I love that about our group. And I think it's also a testament to the coaches. (Thibodeau) every day is on us. He's a great leader for us and (has) given us a game plan we believe in every day, and we're coming into every game focused and locked into the game plan."

Thibodeau, who was hired in July 2020, had guided the Knicks to a surprise 4-3 start that's good enough for fifth place in the Eastern Conference.

A big reason has been the play of Randle, who posted 28 points, 17 rebounds, and nine assists Monday evening in Atlanta. Barrett also enjoyed arguably his best outing of the season, recording 26 points and 10 boards.

Barrett says Thibodeau has put an emphasis on effort.

"Playing hard. That's it," Barrett offered. "We're playing hard every single night. We're fighting. As long as we do that, we should be OK."

"It starts with Thibs and then it goes all the way down," Barrett added. "Julius is tough every night. It goes all the way down the line. Everybody that comes in the game plays hard, plays with an edge. Everybody on the team contributes in many different ways and it's been great so far."

Thibodeau is known for leaning heavily on his star players, and against Atlanta, both Randle and Barrett logged more than 43 minutes. In the absence of Obi Toppin, Nerlens Noel, and Alec Burks, Thibodeau has stuck with an eight-man rotation, with Randle averaging six minutes more than his career-high output of 32.5 per game.