Team USA assistant coach Tom Thibodeau had nothing but praise for the leader that New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony has become.

If you polled 100 New York Knicks fans about whom they wanted Phil Jackson to hire as head coach, the highest percentage of votes would’ve gone to Tom Thibodeau. Thibodeau ended up accepting a job offer from the Minnesota Timberwolves, but the dream most certainly existed.

Though it’s not exactly the same, Thibodeau is getting a close look at Knicks star Carmelo Anthony—and he’s loving what he’s seeing.

Anthony has been consistently criticized for allegedly not being the type of leader that his superstar contemporaries have become. He’s gone a long way towards silencing that chatter in the local community, and is gaining traction nationally.

According to Marc Berman of The New York Post, Thibodeau heaped loads of praise onto Anthony for his leadership.

“He’s been great, terrific,’’ Thibodeau said of Anthony. “He set the tone in the first meeting. In practice, he’s playing unselfishly, practicing hard, talking to people, moving the ball, rebounding. He’s doing a lot of good stuff for us. “That’s the best type of leadership you can have. The way he concentrates in meetings and practices. It goes a long way for the younger guys who haven’t been through it, setting an example.’’

Thibodeau, Krzyewski, and Jackson have all echoed the same sentiment: Anthony is an excellent leader.

Jackson recently stated that Anthony leads in the same way as Willis Reed and Michael Jordan: by example. Shortly thereafter, Krzyzewski revealed that Anthony has become the vocal leader of Team USA.

Though the Knicks have added other veterans to the mix, the development of Anthony’s vocal leadership is a promising sign for New York.

Anthony has been one of the best pure talents in the NBA for more than a decade. He’s yet to win a championship, however, and many have chalked that up to his inability to excel as a leader in the locker room and on the court.

That theory is being disproved in 2016, which may be a sign that New York is inching closer to championship territory.

If Anthony is more willing to be vocal with his Knicks teammates, then he could become the leader New York needs in order to become champions again.