Tom Thibodeau Reacts To Claims He Overworks His Players

(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Over the last five months, the New York Knicks have transformed themselves from a mediocre team that had been a laughingstock for the last 20-plus years to one that has a legitimate identity and soul.

They finished with the second seed in the Eastern Conference and made it all the way to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, and had it not been for multiple key injuries, perhaps they would’ve gone further.

Head coach Tom Thibodeau has done an admirable job with his players, but the accusation that he overworks his players and leaves them on the court for too many minutes remains.

He was asked by Josh Hart, his starting shooting guard, about that accusation, and he said that he doesn’t worry about it, while also saying that players must prepare for what they will be doing in the playoffs, per “Roommates Show” (via NBACentral).

Tom Thibodeau says that most playoff teams have their top players on the court for over 40 minutes per game, and he isn’t concerned about the criticism he receives for giving his players heavy minutes

( @Roommates__Show / https://t.co/ZYPQP8BqrE) pic.twitter.com/5hw4KrFO3q

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) June 13, 2024

This is an accusation that has followed Thibodeau ever since his days coaching the Chicago Bulls a decade ago.

As the playoffs wore on, Jalen Brunson, the Knicks’ franchise player, looked more and more tired, as more of his teammates continued to go down to injury and he had to carry a larger load offensively.

It started with the shoulder injury that ended All-Star power forward Julius Randle’s year at midseason, and during the postseason, Hart, OG Anunoby, and Mitchell Robinson suffered injuries of their own.

On the other hand, if New York keeps enough of their roster together for next season, they will have the depth needed to reduce the need for their starters to play too many minutes.

Donte DiVincenzo, Miles McBride, and Bojan Bogdanovic have given them a bench that Thibodeau can count on to produce, especially offensively.

It isn’t hard to imagine a healthy Knicks squad being a serious threat for Eastern Conference supremacy next season.

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