No coach in the NBA plays his starters more minutes than Tom Thibodeau.
That has been a trend with him throughout his entire career.
As Knicks insider Tommy Beer pointed out on X, four Knicks players are in the top seven for most minutes played this season.
Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, and O.G. Anunoby rank No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3, respectively, with 1,408, 1,316, and 1,314 minutes.
Jalen Brunson isn’t that far behind, logging 1,225 minutes, the seventh-most in the league.
Most minutes played in the NBA this season:
1. Mikal Bridges (NYK): 1,408 minutes
2. Josh Hart (NYK): 1,316 mins
3. OG Anunoby (NYK): 1,314
4. De’Aaron Fox (SAC): 1,305
5. Tyrese Haliburton (IND): 1,266
6. Anthony Edwards (MIN): 1,234
7. Jalen Brunson (NYK): 1,225
— Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) January 5, 2025
If that wasn’t enough, Karl-Anthony Towns currently leads all big men in minutes played, and he’s No. 12 overall at 1,176.
While with the Bulls, Thibodeau kept Derrick Rose in a game already settled when he sustained that season-ending injury.
Luol Deng and Joakim Noah struggled with chronic injuries after their days with Thibodeau.
Jimmy Butler is also constantly injured, and he played for Thibodeau in Chicago and Minnesota.
The Knicks struggled with injuries last season, and Jalen Brunson was absolutely gassed in the playoffs.
Thibodeau is a very good coach, and his teams usually play outstanding defense, but one doesn’t need to be a savant to realize there’s an obvious trend here.
He will have to turn to the bench more often.
This is a long season, and his teams usually run out of gas by the second round of the playoffs due to all the wear and tear.
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