New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau has long had a proclivity for relying heavily on his starters, and the 2024-25 campaign has been no different. Only seven players on the team are averaging 20-plus minutes of playing time per game this season.
Plus, Knicks starting forward Mikal Bridges is in a tie with his teammate Josh Hart for the most minutes played per game in the league with a whopping 37.8.
Bridges, a former Villanova University standout, recently asked Thibodeau to give members of the starting five fewer minutes and asserted that New York’s reserves deserve more playing time.
Bridges, an NBA iron man who’s suited up in every one of New York’s 64 games this season, said that playing heavy minutes on a game-to-game basis can take a toll on one’s body.
“Sometimes it’s not fun on the body,” Bridges said. “You’ll want that as a coach but also talked to him a little bit knowing that we’ve got a good enough team where our bench guys can come in and we don’t need to play 48 (minutes), 47.
“We’ve got a lot of good guys on this team that can take away minutes. Which helps the defense, helps the offense, helps tired bodies being out there and giving up all these points. It helps just keeping fresh bodies out there.”
The 28-year-old also said that Thibodeau sometimes “gets in his ways” and he needs to be reminded to leave bench players out on the floor.
“I think he’s not arguing about it,” Bridges said. “Sometimes I think he just gets in his ways and he gets locked in. He just wants to keep the guy out there. Sometimes you’ve got to tell him, like Landry (Shamet), for example or somebody, keep him out there, they’re playing well.”
While it’s important that Thibodeau give his starters a breather or two every game, perhaps part of the reason Thibodeau hasn’t turned to the bench very often is that New York is lacking depth.
When at full strength, the Knicks’ starting five of Bridges, Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, O.G. Anunoby and Hart is one of the best in the NBA, but the Knicks aren’t exactly loaded with talent outside of those five guys.
Miles McBride has probably been New York’s best player off the pine this season, as he’s posting career-highs in points and assists per game across 54 appearances and only three starts. However, McBride is still scoring fewer than 10 points per contest and his scoring efficiency has left much to be desired, as he’s shooting 41.3 percent from the field and 36.9 percent from 3-point range.
But even with New York’s shortage of depth, the Knicks have been one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference this season. The team owns a record of 41-23 and earned a win over the Sacramento Kings in its most recent game played on Monday.
Bridges, Thibodeau and the Knicks will try for their second consecutive win when they do battle against an inferior Portland Trail Blazers squad on Wednesday night.
