Knicks hire Billy Lange to run player development

The New York Knicks have hired Billy Lange to run player development, a league source confirmed, bringing in a veteran coach with extensive NBA and college experience to oversee the growth of the franchise’s young players.

Lange, 53, who spent the last six seasons as head coach at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, will leave the Hawks-like role at the Atlantic 10 program before joining the Knicks. He has coached in college or the NBA since 1996 and served as the Philadelphia 76ers’ player development coach from 2013-19, a period that included the team’s rebuild and the development of players such as Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, Jerami Grant, Michael Carter-Williams, TJ McConnell, Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor.

Team officials and people familiar with the decision framed the hire as part of a broader emphasis on expanding the rotation and improving the availability of younger players. Under former coach Tom Thibodeau, the Knicks’ rookies played sparingly and were mostly out of the playoff rotation. After Thibodeau’s departure, the organization made player development a key factor in its coaching search and interviews, and Mike Brown, who is expected to lead the team, moved to place a trusted development specialist on staff.

Lange’s role, according to a source, will not be as an assistant coach or a regular bench presence; he will be focused on individual and group development work. The Knicks’ young core includes Pacome Dadiet, Tyler Kolek, Kevin McCullar Jr., Mohamed Diawara and Ariel Hukporti — players drafted in the last two years, most late in the draft or in the second round. None were selected higher than 25th overall. Last season’s rotation was centered on the league’s established starters, and the club currently projects a top-nine rotation with a single roster slot available for a veteran free agent.

Summer League play offered mixed signals about the team’s prospects for internal development. Guard Tyler Kolek struggled as a featured ballhandler in the Las Vegas summer slate, an indication of how much work remains for some rookies to earn consistent NBA minutes. The Knicks cited the need for depth to cover injuries and scheduled rest, and development staff will be tasked with preparing young players to seize opportunities when they arise.

Lange’s ties to the Philadelphia area and to the college game are longstanding; he played at Rowan University and served as an assistant at Villanova under coach Jay Wright earlier in his career. At St. Joseph’s, Lange produced consecutive 20-win seasons and beat nearby rival Villanova in recent campaigns. Those credentials and his prior NBA player-development portfolio were cited as reasons the Knicks sought him for the role.

The addition fills a specific gap in the team’s support structure while the coaching staff is being finalized. Expected New York assistants and holdovers include Chris Jent, Brendan O’Connor, Rick Brunson, Darren Erman, Mo Cheeks, TJ Saint and Jordan Brink. The Knicks declined to provide immediate comment, and the hiring will require Lange’s formal resignation from St. Joseph’s before he assumes the new position.

The move signals the Knicks’ intention to invest in internal talent growth as they balance competing priorities of winning now and cultivating cost-controlled players. How quickly the young roster members respond to Lange’s methods, and whether that accelerates their integration into Mike Brown’s rotation, will be tested once the regular season begins and in the team’s next Summer League and training-camp cycles.