The Knicks are tired but, shh, we shouldn't say it too loudly. As often happens with Tom Thibodeau on the bench, the team suffers a downturn. This time, it's even before the halfway point of the season, and this lack of energy was quite glaring Monday against the Magic. In the New York ranks, we recognize that the start of the season is starting to weigh on the organizations with a third consecutive defeat. But like Jalen Brunson, we evacuate the subject.
“ Fatigue? Yes, we could say that » admits the Knicks leader, almost half-heartedly to the media. “ But like I said, that's no excuse for our defeat tonight. We won't say that we are tired, that's not who we are. » For Mikal Bridges, it is the “ hardness » which was lacking in his team's game, and to be able to maintain it for 48 minutes. “ We had a lot of matches, and little time to recover. We have to find a way to do it, but it's hard for us. »
Finding “energy”
The Knicks struggled to find their breathing space, particularly on defense. And if the absences of Karl-Anthony Towns and Miles McBride, injured in the calf, have necessarily further reduced the rotation, what can we say about Orlando opposite, who had to cope without five major players (Banchero, Wagner, Suggs, and Harris).
“ They played a good match and we played a match without energy » summarized in his usual concise style Tom Thibodeau at a press conference. “ It wasn't a lack of effort because the guys tried. Just a lack of energy. We didn't manage to really launch anything. We have to find our energy, it's an important aspect in this league. Sometimes you have to dig in and find another path to win. »
In the “Big Apple”, we also deepen the dark circles under the eyes of certain players. Tom Thibodeau like Jalen Brunson or Mikal Bridges highlight the ups and downs of a season, as for each team. However, it is difficult to hide both the visual impression and the reality of the figures.
Despite a busy schedule and some physical glitches, the coach chose not to open his rotation more widely. In each of the last three lost matches, at least one of the starters played 40 minutes or more. And the bench is reduced to three real replacements (Precious Achiuwa, Landry Shamet and Cameron Payne), sometimes in an anecdotal role. Against the Thunder last Friday, the trio didn't even reach 30 cumulative minutes of play, leaving the entire starting five to exceed 40 minutes.
The maneuver is double-edged when it ends in a setback: it pulls on the bodies of the major players and it leaves no room for the rotation players to find a rhythm when there is no other choice but to count on them. Last night, Jericho Sims took Karl-Anthony Towns' place as the starting pivot, accumulating nearly 30 minutes of play, more than in the Knicks' previous nine games!
Minutes, kilometers… The Knicks leaders at the top of the NBA
The ranking of the most playing time in the league says a lot about Tom Thibodeau's use of his leaders. Three of its holders are among the seven biggest playing times since the start of the season, with Mikal Bridges (39.2 minutes) and Josh Hart (37.7) in the first two places, while OG Anunoby (36.5) is therefore seventh. Jalen Brunson (35.0) and Karl-Anthony Towns (34.6) are just a little further behind, in 24th and 30th place, respectively.
There are even four of the six players to have ran the most meters in 2024/25, with Mikal Bridges also the marathon runner-in-chief of the entire NBA (Josh Hart 3rd, Jalen Brunson 5th, OG Anunoby 8th).
The end of last season in 2023/24 was heroic with a cascade of players in the infirmary, once again raising the question of the management of playing time by the New York technician. Since the resumption, Tom Thibodeau has a shorter squad in depth following the arrivals of Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges, but does not want to save his hard core. And it's starting to be felt.
A reason for hope all the same for the Knicks: after having counted the greatest number of games played away since the start of the season, they will play 11 of their next 13 games at Madison Square Garden, limiting their travel to neighboring Brooklyn, and a short hour's flight to Philadelphia.
