Without Karl-Anthony Towns in the lineup, the Knicks’ concerns about depth became apparent when he missed just one game. When the Knicks lost to Orlando on 7th Jan. Towns and Jalen Brunson emerged as the team’s scoring powerhouses, both ranking in the top 12 for points in the league. Towns have hit the 40-point mark three times, and let’s not forget Brunson’s 44 points on Sunday or his insane 55-point game against the Wizards last month.

What’s really underrated about the 4x All-star is how much he’s helped Brunson share the load. Last season, Brunson was carrying the bulk of the offensive duties. With Towns now in the mix, Brunson doesn’t have to be the one to do it all, allowing him to be more effective and take pressure off his shoulders.

The Knicks‘ offense is starting to look way more balanced with both guys leading the charge. But take one out of the equations and everything falls apart. And it could be happening. Towns wasn’t giving much away about his thumb injury after the game. With his hand in his pocket, he kept repeating, “It is what it is,” and said, “It’s as simple as that.”

Still, the injury seemed to affect him throughout the Knicks’ loss to the Pistons. After slamming his hand on the backboard during a drive, his shots were off, but he still put up 26 points and 12 rebounds. In the third quarter, Towns grabbed his hand in pain after a swipe.

Towns didn’t reveal if he had an X-ray, and coach Tom Thibodeau, as usual, said, “I haven’t talked to medical yet.”. And it did not sit well with Knicks’ fans.

Fans blame Coach Tom Thibodeau and thinks he “broke” Karl-Anthony Towns

One fan wrote, “Thibs broke him.”. Well, it isn’t without merit that the fan makes this claim, especially after watching Towns battle through injury while coach Thibodeau left him on the court even after he got hurt. Let’s be honest: when a star player like Towns clearly hurts his thumb, you’d expect the coach to make adjustments to minimize further damage.

“Thibs keeps playin him 42 mins” tweeted another fan. This nailed the frustration that’s been building around coach Thibodeau’s coaching style, particularly when it comes to heavy minutes for key players like Towns. 3 Knickerbockers are present at the top of most minutes per game in the NBA list. The starters need to rest.

A netizen made a humorous comment, “another reaction, Substantiate this, add value and insight to it” they wrote. The idea of Thibodeau pushing Towns to play through an injury, even something as significant as a broken thumb, feels all too plausible given the coach’s history. It’s a pattern that fans have seen play out before, where the 66-year-old coach seems more focused on immediate performance than prioritized long-term player health.

A fan, fuming with rage, wrote a rather harsh comment. “Brother needs to learn how to ASK OUT of the game. bc the insane old man that coaches him for sure won’t take him out unless he’s bleeding.” they wrote. Sure, the responsibility falls on Coach Thibodeau to manage player minutes and make smart decisions, but when you’re clearly in pain like Towns was, it’s hard to understand why he didn’t ask out of the game earlier.

At some point, you’d feel it’s on the player to speak up for their own health.

Another frustrated fan wrote, “Tibs really kept playing him after he was clearly hurt🤦🏻‍♂️”. The 6-foot-11 center got hurt in the 1st half. He looked uncomfortable but late in the third quarter, Towns experienced a painful moment when he drove to the basket. As he was swiped, he stumbled into the crowd, clutching his hand in clear distress.

But he still wasn’t taken off.

So what do you guys think? Should Coach Thibodeau show some trust in the second unit? Or get some players before 6th Feb?