Knicks starters on a streak of bad history under Tom Thibodeau
As the 2024-25 NBA season nears its halfway point, certain members New York Knicks are on pace to make history the team doesn’t want under a head coach Tom Thibodeau. Four members of the Knicks’ starting lineup are top five in the NBA total minutes played this season.
The four Knicks players who made the list are Mikal Bridges – leading the league in minutes played with 1,592 – Josh Hart with 1,500, And the Anunobi with 1,492 i Jalen Brunson with 1,397. The only player in the top five who isn’t Nick is Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolvesranking 4th with 1,422 minutes played.
The Knicks’ starting five is averaging 180.9 minutes per game this season, which puts them on pace to be the sixth-most used unit since the 1976-77 merger.
At 26-15, which is good enough for the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference, it’s hard to say things aren’t working out for the Knicks. Their depth, however, has to be questioned when there is only one non-starter on the team, Myles McBride, who is averaging more than 20 minutes per game.
The Nix might want to consider an upgrade the quality of their bullpen before the Feb. 6 trade deadline.
Who could the Knicks add?
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The Knicks need help on the defensive end of the floor as they rank 15th in the NBA in defensive rating at 112.7. One name the Knicks have been linked to is Washington Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas.
Valanciunas is averaging 19.8 minutes per game off the bench for the Wizards. He is averaging 11.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game while shooting 55.8% from the field.
Valanciunas could solve some of the Knicks’ defensive and depth issues as he would give them a second option behind Karl-Anthony Towns. New York will need to figure things out on defense if they want to compete with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics.
Daniel Locke covers the New Orleans Pelicans and is an associate editor for ClutchPoints. He will graduate from Auburn University in May with a degree in journalism. Daniel covered Auburn Athletics throughout his time as a student, focusing on football, men’s basketball and baseball.
2025-01-16 00:46:00
