Yet one of the many misconceptions about Thibodeau is that he’s strictly a defensive specialist. Although he arrived in Boston with the designation of “defensive coordinator,’’ in previous stints with Minnesota, San Antonio, Philadelphia, New York, and Houston, he was also intricately involved in the offense.
Van Gundy was initially drawn to Thibodeau because of his innovative offensive sets, among them kick-and-drive sequences and his positioning of the big man at the baseline instead of on the block, providing extra space for a driver to finish or drop the ball off.
Van Gundy was also taken with Thibodeau’s player development skills. While most assistants taught individuals with one-on-none drills, Thibodeau blended those skills into the team concept. He didn’t just chart a conditioning program; he went into the weight room and explained specifically why each exercise was beneficial. Thibodeau spent hours in the film room schooling each player on how to isolate tendencies that would reap benefits in the final seconds of a critical game.
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