The New York Knicks coaching staff, led by head coach Tom Thibodeau, is facing another departure. According to ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski, Knicks player development coach Scott King is being hired by the Austin Spurs as their next head coach.
King is returning to the G League, where he began his career with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in 2017, working in basketball operations. He moved to the NBA the following year as a video intern for the Detroit Pistons before joining the Knicks in 2019 as an assistant video coordinator.
King remained with the Knicks’ video staff but was promoted before the past season to assistant director of player development. Now, he’s taking another step forward by becoming the head coach of the San Antonio Spurs’ G League affiliate in Austin.
King isn’t the only assistant to leave the Knicks recently. The team also lost associate head coach Johnnie Bryant, who joined the Cleveland Cavaliers under new coach Kenny Atkinson, who replaced J.B. Bickerstaff.
Given his experience in video, King was often a key resource for the Knicks when it came to challenging plays. He would be on the bench with an iPad, frequently advising Thibodeau on whether to challenge a particular play.
While someone else on the coaching staff can take over these duties, it’s an essential role that often goes unnoticed.
The Knicks led the league in both total challenges (8) and successful challenges (6) during the first round of the playoffs, saving an estimated 7.88 points in their six-game series against the 76ers, a matchup they won by just a single point overall, 650-649, according to New York Post columnist Brian Lewis.
Now, King will be responsible for calling challenges and much more as the head coach of the Austin Spurs.
