It's a subject that comes up again and again when he's leading a team. Management of playing time for holders of Tom Thibodeau is thus often questioned by NBA analysts, who mention accumulated fatigue and the increased risk of injuries.
Chandler Parsons is one of those who criticized the rotation of Tom Thibodeau, which in his eyes would have had an impact on the injuries in the playoffs of Mitchell Robinson, Bojan Bogdanovic or OG Anunoby.
“Is it Thibs’ fault? Again, this is why we were worried in the first place. When injuries start to happen and they drag on, guys miss games and starters play a lot of minutes,” analyzed the former Rockets and Grizzlies player. “It’s hard not to see that, isn’t it? That's why the player survey said a lot of guys don't want to play for him, because it doesn't last… So yeah, in my opinion, that's on him. »
Josh Hart in defense of his coach
On the other hand, Josh Hart did not let these comments slide. The guard/winger is the player who has logged the most minutes with the Knicks (44.1 minutes of play since the start of the playoffs), which makes him one of the main people concerned by these comments. And he wanted to defend his coach.
“You expect ignorance when people have no idea what’s going on here”he castigates. “People like to tell a story, put a label on it and use it. None of these guys are here to watch us practice. None of these guys watch what we do. This is my seventh year in the league and I've probably never had so many days off. We do contactless training. Everyone thinks we do three-hour workouts. […] It's stupid to put this on his back. »
Donte DiVincenzo has also seen his minutes increase since the start of the playoffs. He went from 29 to 35 minutes on average per game but the Thibodeau method and the tight rotations in the playoffs seem completely normal for the Knicks shooter. Above all, it doesn't seem to affect him at the end of the match for crucial baskets.
“No, no, it’s just the playoffs” he concludes. “Everyone in the league plays their best players a lot. And we have alternated this season between high and low playing time. Once in the playoffs, the best must simply be on the field and playing. »
