With the NBA playoffs quickly approaching, Knicks swingman Mikal Bridges wants to ensure that his team is at full strength to make a respectable title run. This week, Bridges even made a formal request to head coach Tom Thibodeau to lower the workload for himself and the other starters.
“Sometimes it’s not fun on the body,” Bridges said, via the New York Post. “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.”
Going back to his days with the Bulls, Thibs has always been generous with how he distributes minutes for his favorite players. Frequently, the stars on his teams have the most playing time out of anyone in the league and that trend holds true this season with Bridges holding the top spot in the entire NBA at 2,420 minutes on the court.
“I think it’s something you never really get used to,” Bridges said. “Your body is going to feel how it is every year. But I’ve been a part of it for a while, knowing how to take care of my body through those situations and just trying to do as much as I can.”
It’s no secret that Thibs likes to keep a tight rotation that leans on his most trusted and reliable performers. Since these players can often end up with close to 40 minutes every night, it has led to accusations of Thibs running his players into the ground.
While it’s true that several prominent players have been injured under Thibodeau’s watch (Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Julius Randle, and Mitchell Robinson, among others), there is no proof that his rotation cycle has any direct link to major injuries.
Still, Thibs’ overreliance on the starters can have negative effects on the team. Not only does it raise the risk of an accident on the court, but it also causes an increased fatigue rate that can lead to burnout in the playoffs.
This season, for a Knicks team ranked third in the East (41-23), it’s imperative that they have their full roster intact for the upcoming playoffs. With Karl-Anthony Towns, Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Josh Hart, the Knicks are one of the most well-rounded teams in the league, but it’s clear that Thibs doesn’t fully trust his bench to hold it down.
With just a few weeks to go before the postseason, the Knicks are hoping to stay healthy and whole, but they will only go so far if their best players are tired and worn out from such a heavy workload.
Bridges, who is averaging 17.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game on 49.2% shooting, took it upon himself to speak to Thibs about his minutes distribution but it remains to be seen what kind of impact it will have on their chances to win the East.
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