Lance Thomas continues to earn his spot in the crowded New York Knicks rotation and his intangibles are making him very valuable off the bench.
The New York Knicks are riding high over the last few games securing close victories at home in front of an energized Madison Square Garden crowd. The attention is on the star of the show, and deservedly so, as Kristaps Porzingis continues to put up amazing scoring numbers during the first 10 games of the season.
However, the supporting cast, led by veteran forward Lance Thomas, has brought the grit and energy needed from a second unit. Thomas, known for his strong defensive intensity and focus, has made great contributions that rarely show up in the box score, making him the team’s unofficial leader in intangible plays that help lead the team to victories. He has effectively owned the first backup forward position off the bench without having the impressive offensive ability like his fellow teammates.
Thomas is averaging 3.9 points in 14.8 minutes per game but has been turning heads with his spark while in the lineup. The Knicks’ 108-101 comeback victory Sunday against the Indiana Pacers was propelled by Thomas’ leadership and influence on the momentum of the game. He played the entire fourth quarter as New York outscored Indiana 36-17 in the final frame, erasing a 16-point deficit.
Thomas revealing his mindset heading into the fourth quarter and the comeback win, per the NY Post:
"“I just want to affect the game. A lot of the things I do for this team I don’t need praise for it, I don’t need a pat on the back. I do it because my teammates expect it of me and because I know that’s what I’m capable of. Whenever my number’s called, I’m always ready, I saw that our intensity level was low and our body language was bad. As a leader of this team, I’m always like, ‘Hey, when we fix our body language we’ll have a chance.’ We had our heads down, we were complaining about the way the game was going.”“It’s playing hard. When I say it to my teammates, it resonates with them because they know I practice what I preach, I’m not going to say, ‘Go out and go hard,’ and then I go out and play with my head down. When I got my chance, I wanted it to be infectious. I wanted my guys to see me picking guys up full-court, trying to make the extra play and just scraping.”"
Tuesday night’s victory over the Charlotte Hornets also saw the Knicks come from behind, with the comeback led by another fourth quarter run led by Thomas and the bench. This time around, he poured in 10 points, including big plays defensively and pushing his teammates into the right spots to stifle the high-scoring Hornets.
Thomas made an impression on his head coach Jeff Hornacek, who has made sure to stick with the former Duke Blue Devil late in games. Hornacek spoke with the media after Tuesday’s win praising Thomas’ stellar defensive play.
"“You can’t say enough about Lance Thomas. Look at his stat line and see what it was, the big number was plus-23. He brought that defensive energy that we needed, That’s Lance. He’s maybe our best defender. He takes on any challenge.“That’s kind of his role, to be that defensive guy. He’s been a great leader for us, as a team, even though we don’t play him big minutes. But he’s always ready. He’s a professional and he probably gets two game balls tonight instead of just one.”"
Thomas had numerous problems staying on the floor last season, as he only appeared in 46 games. A hip injury kept the Brooklyn native out of the remaining few games of the year as the Knicks submerged into full tank mode for better lottery position. His 6.2 points per game were far below the expectations set for him as the Knicks’ primary player off the bench.
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A new season and a new spirit to be a leader on the team has done good so far for Thomas and the Knicks. Only 72 more games left in the regular season to determine whether or not this spark will continue to grow into a full-fledged star.