Knicks forward Mikal Bridges, the NBA’s leader in total minutes played this season, said on Wednesday that he has spoken to head coach Tom Thibodeau about the idea of dialing back the starters’ minutes to some extent and leaning more on the bench. Asked later in the day about that discussion, Thibodeau denied that it happened.
“We never had a conversation about it,” Thibodeau told reporters, including Stefan Bondy of The New York Post and James L. Edwards III of The Athletic.
Bridges, Josh Hart, and OG Anunoby are all among the top six in the NBA in terms of minutes per game, with Hart and Bridges occupying the top two spots on that leaderboard. Jalen Brunson ranks 19th, while Karl-Anthony Towns is 24th. Thibodeau, who has faced criticism over the years for the heavy workloads he assigns his top players, defended his approach ahead of Wednesday’s game in Portland.
“The facts are the facts. When you look at our team, and the way it works, Jalen plays 35 minutes, and I think he’s 20th or 21st in average minutes played,” Thibodeau said. “(Towns), who is a primary scorer, plays less than Jalen. He’s like 25th in the league in average minutes.
“Your wings play more, right? They’re matched up with primary scorers. The way it works, if Jayson Tatum is in the game or Jaylen Brown is in the game, OG will be in the game and Mikal will be in the game. When those guys go out, (our) guys go out. When they come back, (our guys) come back. We try to keep them matched up. If you look at the league, all those guys are playing 36, 37 minutes — whether it’s Durant, Tatum, Brown. The wings are going to play more. They are primary wings defenders. That’s the way it works.”
Thibodeau also pointed out that Bridges’ minutes have come down as of late. The veteran forward played 39.3 minutes per night through his first 35 games of the season; entering Wednesday, he had averaged 35.5 MPG in his previous 21 outings. While Wednesday’s contest vs. the Trail Blazers represented the seventh time Bridges has played 40-plus minutes since February 1, five of those games went to overtime.
According to Thibodeau, his starters’ playing time will likely remain a little below where it was during the first couple months of the season because the reserves are healthier at this point, with Mitchell Robinson and Landry Shamet among those now playing rotation roles.
“We’ve started the season with Landry hurt and (Miles McBride) not 100 percent. So our wings did play more,” Thibodeau said. “So are they playing a little bit more than I would like? Yeah. Probably 35 or 36 (minutes), and that’s where Mikal is if you look at the last 10 games — he’s playing 35 minutes per game and four of those games are overtime games. So that’s the reality. Now that Deuce is healthy, those minutes are going to come down. So that’s the way it is.”
Although Thibodeau didn’t sound thrilled to have to revisit the discourse about his player usage, the day ended on a positive note for both him and Bridges, who scored a team-high 33 points on 13-of-21 shooting and nailed a buzzer-beating three-pointer in overtime to give the Knicks a 114-113 win (Twitter video link).
“He was huge, huge,” Thibodeau said, per Edwards.
It would’ve been so much easier for the overall optics for Tom Thibodeau to just say, yeah we talked about it and we talk about everything.
And then he can go on with his explanation, which of course sounds like he’s aware of the issue and someone probably talked to him about it lol.
Exactly. He essentially called his player a liar when it was unnecessary.
Why not call out the player for going public to the media with a conversation that never happened????
How do you know it never happened?
Yeah, no. It’s all about power and politics. If you let one player start speaking out, putting themselves above the coach, it takes away your power. Just like the Miami and pat riley fued.
Something about this does feel different though. The timing is weird. I get the impression someone else is involved.
There’s a difference between listening to your subordinates give constructive criticism and letting them say you don’t know what you’re doing. Thibs could’ve easily said, yes, we talked about it and I hear him, but I’m gonna do what’s best for the team.” I don’t think that going to invite some kind of revolt. Good leaders listen and react.
Wrong. Thibs is a general. Imagine bill belichick letting players talk out of school. Bridges took a risk and I think someone put him up to it. Of course thibs won’t let it slide. The question is who is in his ear
Come on, you can’t compare Thibs to Belichik. Thibs has won ZERO chips as a head coach. There’s a reason why he has never won a championship, and his refusal to adjust to things has so far led to that. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a good coach, but he’s not “one of the best coaches of all time” good.
You’re totally missing my point but whatever. I didn’t compare their records. Imagine though if Mikhail bridges spoke about bilichek playing his players too much. That’d be weird, right?
Of course. And this is also the way that Thibs always deals with the media. He’d rather have a root canal ham answer a question about a tough coaching decision.
So you agree someone put bridges up to it to get to thibs? Or something deeper
Thibs doing Thibs things…
Umm…that’s really weird. Somehow I feel like bigger parties are getting involved. People who outrank silver…
You are right. It has to be the Queen B$$..Stephen A. “The Real Housewives of ESPN” need some drama to justify their existence. That TV contract has got to pay for itself somehow.
Not a bad guess but I feel like it might be even bigger than that. Notice anything about the media deal and the rights vs. inter-state rights? It lines up a little too perfectly.
Thibs is running the Knicks the way the Knicks need to be run, and that includes playing time. The Knicks were completely dead in the water before the front office hired Thibs. Thibs silenced those critics last year, and many became Thibs supporters. Don’t jump off the bandwagon now. Thibs knows what he is doing. He has guided this team to levels they have not seen in quite some time. If they don’t get a title, it won’t be because Thibs played them too many minutes. They would have just not been good enough, and Mikhail Bridges, and his 34% shooting from the 3-point arc, would be a big part of not being good enough. Notice the difference in winning outcomes for the Knicks, like last night, when Bridges actually makes a 3-point shot or two down the stretch. Thibs ain’t the problem.
Why not? Jerry Sloan, George Karl and Donn Nelson all won over a 1,000 games in their careers. All 3 are in the Basketball Hall of Fame. But, they never won a title as a Head Coach. Some just don’t know how to win it all.
Jerry Sloan would have had 2 rings had it not been for having to play Michael Jordan, and the Bulls in the Finals. George Karl would have 1 ring had it not been for having to play Michael Jordan and the Bulls in the Finals.
LMAO. Thibs doesn’t have to explain himself to the media or 2k nation (which comprise the overwhelming majority of his critics). Like any HC, he answers only to the FO and his players; thankfully, both of those (together with anyone else who understands what coaching is on any level of any sport) appreciate him for the great HC he is, and that his record clearly demonstrates.
If Bridges had issues with his minutes (in-game or generally in games), then he was right to mention that to Thibs. Although he should not have mentioned to the media, particularly the NY media right now, as they’ve been shunned by this FO and would love a topic they can cast out there, and know that at least the 2k part of the fanbase will rise to the bait.
On the other hand, it’s highly doubtful (almost inconceivable) that Bridges (who’s known as a great teammate) would EVER suggest to a HC that any one, or any group, of his teammate(s) play fewer mintues. Almost all NBA players spend the majority of their careers hunting as many minutes as they can get, as certainly as they hunt as many $$ as they can get. Those are two topics that are out of line for a teammate to speak on.