On Wednesday, Mikal Bridges of the New York Knicks made headlines and raised eyebrows when he revealed to Stefan Bondy of the New York Post that he'd asked head coach Tom Thibodeau to lighten the minutes load on the team's starters.
It was a notable comment because, well, if there is anything that defines Thibodeau as a head coach it's his insistence on playing his starters for the vast majority of every game. His starting lineup always ranks very high in terms of minutes per game and this year is no different, with Bridges and Josh Hart leading the NBA in minutes per game and O.G. Anunoby just behind them in sixth. This is who Thibodeau is, and for one of his players to not only ask him to change, but to then tell the media about it, is quite something.
Thibodeau was asked about Bridges's comments on Wednesday ahead of New York's battle against the Portland Trail Blazers. He denied they had any conversation about minutes, and went on to strongly defend why he plays his wings so much.
"We never had a conversation about it," Thibodeau told reporters, via The Athletic's James Edwards III. "The facts are the facts. Jalen is 20th or 21st in average minutes. KAT is below that. Your wings play more. They’re matched up against primary players."
The Knicks head coach went on to state that the best players in the NBA are wings, and generally teams do not want their bench players matched up against the best players in the NBA. Hence, the wings are going to be out there more often.
Thibs on Mikal asking less minutes: "We never had a conversation…facts are facts…Wings play more, matched up w top scorers…Mikal's minutes down…Gonna come down more…OG elite level, Josh never wants out…Know the matchups…if LeBron's on floor 40 guy guarding him gonna be 40" pic.twitter.com/gQFyBjDp1W
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) March 13, 2025
Regardless of what side of this debate one might fall on, it does not seem ideal that Thibodeau is publicly disagreeing with Bridges via media scrums. Bridges even gave specifics on how Thibodeau responded to the conversation, saying the coach was "receptive" to his thoughts. It's unclear how they got their wires crossed.
The Knicks were 41-23 entering Wednesday night's contest, good for third in the East.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Knicks' Tom Thibodeau Denies Mikal Bridges's Claim They Spoke About Reducing Minutes.
