Jeff Van Gundy: Knicks’ Tom Thibodeau did ‘unbelievable’ job last year

There were a number of reasons for the Knicks’ disappointing 37-win 2021-22 season, from injuries to underperformance to regression. Some even pointed the finger at coach Tom Thibodeau.

Jeff Van Gundy believes that would be misplaced blame. In fact, the former Knicks coach and current ESPN analyst has a very different take on Thibodeau’s performance last season compared to the previous year, when he led the Knicks to a fourth-place finish and was the NBA’s Coach of the Year.

“I thought last year he did an even better job than he did the year before when he was the Coach of the Year. I thought their talent was much less last year, and I thought they had critical injuries and they had regression from their best player,” Van Gundy told The Post in a phone interview on Friday, referring to injuries at the point guard spot to Kemba Walker and Derrick Rose, and to Julius Randle taking a step back. “The one thing he did last year like he did the year before like [he’s done] most years: They played better late. They just kept improving, and so I thought he absolutely did as good a job as he’s ever done with any team he’s ever coached last year.”

Now, it should be noted the two are close. Thibodeau worked under Van Gundy with the Knicks in the late 1990s. But Van Gundy believes the Knicks improved as the season went on, and they did 12-7 down the stretch. He believes Thibodeau was handcuffed by a roster Van Gundy felt didn’t have nearly as much as talent as the previous year and was too dependent on Randle, and that the coach got as much as he could’ve out of the players he was given.

“There’s always going to be talk. The easiest person to blame when you’re less than what you want to be is the coach. That’s just the reality of it,” Van Gundy said, when asked about the possibility of Thibodeau facing heat if this season goes south. “Listen, the most important person in any organization is the person that picks the roster, right, and so if you’re telling me when you look at their roster that they underachieved last year, I would scoff at that. I think it’s ridiculous.

“To me, he did an unbelievable job last year with keeping his team improving throughout the year, and he didn’t have a lot of good health, a couple of their guys didn’t have great years [that were] counted on, and he kept them in the hunt.”

As for this season, Van Gundy believes the Knicks have improved by landing point guard Jalen Brunson and shot-making big man Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency. The postseason should be a realistic goal, as long as the Knicks can stay relatively healthy. He doesn’t envision a top-four finish like two seasons ago — the play-in is more realistic — but he sees reason for the fan base to be optimistic, particularly with the addition of Brunson.

“Overall, it’s just such an important position and you have a really good player, but also as a building block to become better than a play-in type team, you need to have talent plus basketball character. He’s got both,” Van Gundy said. “I think it was a heckuva addition by the Knicks and I think it’s going to work out great for Jalen, too, because I know how much Tom appreciates his talent, his toughness and his intelligence.”