Rick Pitino, the head coach of St. John’s, has shared some optimistic views about the New York Knicks’ prospects for the current season.
Appearing on the “Roommates Show” podcast, hosted by Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart, Pitino expressed his belief that the Knicks are significantly improved compared to last year.
“I genuinely think you guys have the potential to achieve remarkable things this season,” Pitino remarked while speaking with Brunson and co-host Matt Hillman. “In my view, this is a far superior team to last year’s.”
He emphasized that his positive outlook isn’t influenced by any offseason coaching changes, noting that the Knicks will have all the solutions they need, particularly if Karl Anthony Towns remains in good health.
“It’s not about coaching changes or anything like that; you’re simply a much stronger basketball team,” Pitino explained. “I believe you have all the necessary components, provided the big guy stays healthy.”
Reflecting on his time with the Knicks, Pitino, who served as an assistant coach from 1983-85 and later as head coach from 1987-89, highlighted a notable difference. He mentioned that his teams favored shooting a lot of 3-pointers, contrasting with the current squad’s style.
“We were known as the bombinos,” Pitino joked, referring to the “Bomb-squad” Knicks teams of the late 1980s. “We were averaging 117.8 points per game, and we were pressing a lot … Offensively, we shot a lot of threes — you guys are a better offensive team than us, but we had Patrick [Ewing].
“We had a very good defensive team, but the game was different back then.”
With the first month of the NBA season underway, the Knicks currently have a 9-5 record, sitting third in the Eastern Conference behind the Pistons and Raptors.
The Knicks narrowly escaped with their ninth win of the season on Wednesday with a 113-111 victory against a Mavericks team that is a bottom-feeder in the Western Conference.
Dallas guard Brandon Williams seemed to have made the game-tying shot in the game’s final seconds, but he was ultimately hit for hooking the Knicks’ Landry Shamet, so the basket was waved off.
“I give the referee credit. It was a hook. And a lot of people might not have called it down the stretch but it was the right call,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said following the game.
“And he definitely took [Shamet’s] left arm and I had a great view of it, and I’m glad the official did, and more importantly I’m glad he made the right call.”
