With the New York Knicks season over, a lot of the focus has been on how head coach Tom Thibodeau used his rotation amidst a significant injury crisis on the roster. Over the past week, there has been a two-sided discussion in the basketball community between some that think Thibodeau simply worked with what he was given, and others who think he could have given certain guys extra rest.
Lou Williams suggests Tom Thibodeau is to blame for the Knicks’ fatigue in the playoffs
Former NBA player and three-time Sixth Man of The Year Award winner Lou Williams suggests that Thibodeau is to blame for the fatigue the Knicks endured in the second round of the playoffs against the Indiana Pacers.
“It’s also fair for Thibs to get some criticism for sure,” said Williams on FanDuel TV’s Run It Back. “For Josh Hart, to go to the bench for the first time in Game 3, that’s insanity. You have to find ways to buy minutes for these guys. This thing went seven games. That stuff starts to matter when you get down to Game 6 or Game 7.”
Lou Williams on Tom Thibodeau’s minutes distribution during the playoffs
The Knicks’ rotation was incredibly thin during the postseason
Despite missing several key players to long-term injuries, the Knicks played as if none of that mattered up until Game 4 of the second round when they got pounced by the Pacers in a blowout loss on the road and never made it a competitive game at any point.
After Game 4, it was clear that fatigue was starting to hit the Knicks hard, as they would drop two of the next three games to lose the series and endure more injuries to Josh Hart (abdominal) and Jalen Brunson (fractured hand).
Thibodeau had essentially emptied out his best available bench players in order to field a playable roster. Alec Burks and Precious Achiuwa, both of whom were out of the rotation during the first-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers, suddenly became their two most important bench players.
Should Thibodeau given more playing time to the Knicks’ bench players?
Thibodeau seemed reluctant to go to Shake Milton or Jericho Sims, two guys with some NBA experience under their belts, but it was reasonable given that they only saw the court in garbage time during most of the regular season, and the playoffs are not an ideal time to experiment with other players.
Nevertheless, the prospect of fatigue was always a concern for Thibodeau and this Knicks team, as it is simply unsustainable to run a rotation as thin as the New York was using. A truly unfortunate injury situation led to the short rotation, so perhaps they will look to enhance their depth this summer, but staying healthy will be the main point of emphasis next season.