INDIANAPOLIS — With the season pretty much on the line, Tom Thibodeau turned to … Delon Wright?
Yes.
And it worked.
Wright had barely played since the Knicks acquired him from the Bucks in February in the deal that sent Jericho Sims to Milwaukee.
He started five games while Jalen Brunson was injured toward the end of the regular season, but other than that, he mostly collected DNPs.
Entering the Knicks’ 106-100 Game 3 win over the Pacers on Sunday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, he had played just 3:32 the entire postseason.
But there he was Sunday night, getting over 13 minutes of action.
And he was on the floor at the end of the third quarter and beginning of the fourth quarter when the Knicks mounted their comeback.
He was subbed in with 1:39 left in the third quarter and the Knicks trailing by 13.
He subbed out with 8:48 left in the fourth quarter and the Knicks trailing by three.
His layup had cut the deficit to five beforehand.
“I think you just take the information you have and you look at the groupings, what’s the best thing for the team,” Thibodeau said Monday. “We always prioritize that. And there’s a lot of guys that are making sacrifices, and that’s not easy, but if you put the team first, I think good things come from that. So, I think we’re seeing that with this group.”
Wright only had those two points and one assist, but his defense was pivotal.
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“Just a true professional,” Mikal Bridges said after the game of Wright. “Works hard every single day and got his name called and he’s ready for the moment.”
Cam Payne was previously ahead of Wright in the rotation and, along with Miles McBride, had gotten the bulk of the bench minutes at guard.
But outside of Game 1 of the first round against the Pistons, Payne has struggled offensively with erratic shot selection.
And he’s a poor defender.
He got his first DNP of the postseason on Sunday.
Wright is limited offensively, but has stuck around the league 10 years due to his defensive acumen.
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And at 6-foot-5, he has more length than the 6-foot-3 Payne.
The Knicks’ stifling defense late — with Wright on the court — helped power the comeback, conceding just 42 points in the second half.
“With other guys playing, all four of the guys that played off the bench are really defensive guys,” Tyrese Haliburton said. “They come in and wreak havoc. We just didn’t do a good job of continuing to play fast. I feel like I did a poor job of keeping pace in the game, especially in the fourth [quarter].”
Giving some of the most important minutes of the season — and his coaching career — to Wright was a huge gamble for Thibodeau.
For one game, at least, he was rewarded.