The New York Knicks’ lack of depth has forced head coach Tom Thibodeau to play his starters significantly more than many would like to see during the regular season. All five of the Knicks’ starters rank in the top 20 in minutes per game, and fans who would like to see them get more rest have criticized the heavy distribution.
Karl-Anthony Towns came to the defense of his head coach’s strategy
If there is one player who would understand Thibodeau’s thinking behind the minutes the most, it is Karl-Anthony Towns. Towns played for Thibodeau for a few seasons while with the Minnesota Timberwolves, during the early stages of the All-Star’s career.
Now, he’s enjoying a career season with the Knicks and has found himself in the MVP conversation. The big man came to the defense of his head coach for the “flak” he gets for how he handles his players’ workloads.
“I feel like y’all give him flak all the time,” Towns said, via Andrew Crane of the New York Post. “No matter where he at. But … he keeps getting a job, and it means that everyone keeps respecting and knowing what he can do for a team. And he’s done it in Chicago. He did it with Boston. He did it with us in Minny. And he’s doing it here, even before I got here. So say what you want about Thibs, but he gets the job done.”
The Knicks’ lack of depth has led to an increased workload for starters
As previously mentioned, the Knicks’ depth issues have been a large reason for the top-heavy minutes distribution. Cameron Payne and Landry Shamet have not provided much in the backcourt off the bench, and Precious Achiuwa missed the first 21 games of the season with a hamstring issue.
Additionally, they had to rely on Jericho Sims as the backup to Towns with Mitchell Robinson still out with an ankle injury, and he struggled in his role and is now out of the rotation entirely. Therefore, Thibodeau has needed to play the starters more to win games, and the strategy has worked as they are 25-13 to start the season.
The main concern that comes with the starters’ minutes is the risk of injury. Luckily for them, they have been fortunate to avoid a serious injury this season, but it hasn’t come without a few close calls.
Injuries are the main concern for the Knicks
Towns has dealt with a knee issue that has caused him to miss a pair of games, Jalen Brunson dealt with a calf issue that kept him out of a game last week, and Miles McBride has missed five consecutive games with a hamstring injury.
Ultimately, it comes down to health for this Knicks team, and the concern moving forward will continue to be whether or not they will be healthy enough for the playoffs, which will be more important for obvious reasons. Nevertheless, the players are not worried about the amount of minutes they play, and they will likely play a huge workload on Friday when they take on the Oklahoma City Thunder at home.