The New York Knicks are rolling as one of the league’s best teams this 2024-25 campaign.
Parading a 27-16 record as the No. 3 team of the Eastern Conference, the New York Knicks continue to make significant noise.
And behind the leadership of Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns who has tremendously improved upon arriving last summer, they are primed to deliver a serious run in the post-season.
Yet despite the undeniable brilliance that the Knicks are presenting throughout the NBA, Kevin Garnett stands concerned about their condition in the long run under head coach Tom Thibodeau.
The current great position of the Knicks can be credited to their main starting group. Alongside Towns and Brunson, the trio of OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart are there which transforms New York’s outstanding look.
Yet amid success, it made Thibodeau to strongly rely on the formidable unit. Four of these players are within the top five ranking of most minutes played this season with Bridges topping the entire list at 39.0 minutes average per game.
The Knicks have relatively struggled over their past 10 games with a 4-6 card. And in the latest segment of his KG Certified with fellow NBA legend Paul Pierce, Garnett didn’t hold back expressing his candid thoughts about the on-court exposure management by Thibodeau in connection to this.
“At some point, you got staff, you got assistants, you got a GM, you got presidents. Somebody has to tell this [to Thibodeau]. And, it’s a data league, bro. Data is probably telling you, ‘Hey, the starting five is playing way more minutes than the average starting five in the league.’
“So I’m sure he’s heard this. It goes back to what Paul just said, [Thibodeau] is so stuck in his ways and he knows how to win one way, man,” Garnett said.
“On top of that, no one’s told Thibs, including the players. If I’m Karl-Anthony Towns or ‘big body’ [Brunson], I’m pulling Thibs in the room and say, ‘Look, this should be it’. This is a player’s league. They can’t get this off so Thibs is so stubborn.
“You can’t go up against the Bostons or the Clevelands and not have a bench. I don’t care who you playing.”
According to the data provided by Spotrac, the Knicks haven’t faced much injury issues and casualties, ranking 24th in the entire league this season. Collectively, they only saw 84 total game absences in which Mitchell Robinson occupies the biggest chunk as the big man is yet to make his 2024-25 debut due to an ongoing ankle recovery.
Since becoming a head coach, Thibodeau has been harshly criticized for his minute distribution amongst his players. It’s been widely perceived that he runs his starters into the ground, garnering a polarizing impression league-wide which was eventually dismissed by his former star.
Nevertheless, Garnett is campaigning an idea for Thibodeau to stretch his coverage by including the team’s reserves beyond his starting five.
New York features a serviceable supporting cast off the bench from Miles McBride, Precious Achiuwa, and Cameron Payne. For Garnett, they’re way too good to be underutilized by the longtime mentor.
“They’re on the team, they made the team, they with you training camp, they earned the jersey, they earned the right, they got a contract. You gotta use them bro,” Garnett echoed.
“One guy came off the bench and played 16 minutes. Nah, that’s not cool, when you play these better teams they gonna steamroll you.”
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