Knicks' Tom Thibodeau shoots down Mikal Bridges minutes report
Today at 11:39 PM
New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau gave a swift response to a report on Mikal Bridges’ minutes request. The Knicks’ starting small forward made an eye-opening statement on the strain the starters have been under for most of the season. Bridges, alongside Josh Hart and OG Anunoby, are among the top players in the NBA in minutes. The Knicks are in the middle of a stellar season but will need plenty of energy come the playoffs. Still, New York’s head coach is pedal to the metal no matter the time of the year.
When asked about Bridges’ comments, Tom Thibodeau gave a stern response. Senior writer for The Athletic James L. Edwards III revealed the quote on Twitter.
"We never had a conversation about it. The facts are the facts. Jalen is 20th or 21st in average minutes. KAT is below that. Your wings play more. They're matched up against primary players."
The Knicks are trying to stay fresh to make that good-to-great jump in the playoffs
The New York Knicks have had a stellar regular season so far. The team is 41-23 and third in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks have several players having terrific seasons, like Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Karl-Anthony Towns. For Bridges, who was traded from the Nets this offseason, it’s been an up-and-down season. There have been times where Mikal has looked like an All-NBA caliber player, and there are times when he has looked out of sorts.
Bridges is the ultimate iron man, having not missed a game in his entire career. Because of that and the Knicks’ lack of wing depth, the starting small forward leads the NBA in total minutes at 2,420. The player in second place in this category is Josh Hart with 2,307. While Tom Thibodeau has been an overachieving head coach throughout his career, there are times when his teams do look tired at the end of the year. The Knicks broke down towards the end of last season as they bowed out in the second round to the Indiana Pacers.
There have been times this year when this team’s defensive effort has been lackluster. It’s difficult to consistently have energy on that side of the floor throughout an 82-game season, but it’s also definitely valid to say the number of minutes has affected some of the starters. In addition, giving the bench some minutes is important to ensure this unit is ready to step up when called upon in the postseason and if injuries should arise.
Nevertheless, as long as the Knicks are healthy and fresh by the beginning of the postseason, fans and players will not question Tom Thibodeau’s minutes strategy. But this team will have high expectations heading into the postseason. New York did not make all of its bold trades this summer to lose before the Conference Finals for the third straight year.
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