Steve Kerr and Tom Thibodeau couldn’t be more different when it comes to managing rotations. At the start of the season, Kerr experimented with a 12-man rotation, aiming to keep Stephen Curry’s minutes under 32 per game. Meanwhile, Thibodeau has stuck to his old-school approach—leaning heavily on his starters, often pushing them to the limit.

And not everyone’s on board with it. Mikal Bridges, for one, isn’t exactly a fan. The Knicks’ stars have been logging heavy minutes all season, sparking plenty of debate about whether Thibs’ approach is sustainable—or if it’s just running his players into the ground.

Thibodeau is known for riding his starters hard, sometimes to the point where critics call him out for overworking them. This season, the trend has continued, with three Knicks players ranking among the top 10 in minutes per game. Bridges and Josh Hart lead the pack, each logging nearly 38 minutes a night. Bridges, in particular, has been a workhorse, racking up a league-high 2,420 minutes so far.

But even he admits that Tom Thibodeau’s rotations can take a toll.

“Sometimes it’s not fun on the body,” Bridges told the New York Post. “You’ll want that as a coach, but I also talked to him a little bit, knowing we’ve got a good enough team where our bench guys can come in, and we don’t need to play 48, 47 minutes.”

Bridges understands the grind better than most, but he’s also aware of the importance of fresh legs. “We’ve got a lot of good guys on this team that can take away minutes,” he said. “Which helps the defense, helps the offense, helps tired bodies being out there and giving up all these points.”

Bridges defines durability, holding the NBA’s longest active streak for consecutive games played and while he’s complaining he doesn’t completely blame his coach. “I think he’s not arguing about it. Sometimes I think he just gets in his ways and he gets locked in. He just wants to keep the guy out there,” he said. “Sometimes you’ve got to tell him, like Landry [Shamet], for example, keep him out there—they’re playing well.”

But one of the consequences of Thibodeau’s gruelling minutes? Their star point guard Jalen Brunson has been sidelined for a while. Brunson, one of the league’s top scorers and playmakers, found himself in a tough spot late in overtime vs the Lakers. With 1:24 left on the clock, he drove to the basket, drew contact, and came down awkwardly on Austin Reaves’ foot, rolling his right ankle. Since then, he’s missed the last two games and is out against the Trail Blazers as well. And his absence is reported to be about 2 weeks long.

With the playoffs approaching, it’ll be interesting to see if Tom Thibodeau listens to Mikal Bridges’ advice. The Knicks can’t afford to have their key players worn down before the postseason. But even if they manage to stay fresh, bigger concerns are emerging—mainly their defense and ability to compete with the NBA’s elite.

The Knicks could ship off Mikal Bridges this off season

The Knicks might be sitting comfortably as the No. 3 seed in the East with a 41-23 record, but their defense has slipped. Ranking 14th in defensive rating (113.8), they don’t exactly look like a team built to go the distance. A big reason? Mikal Bridges, once known for his lockdown defense, hasn’t been the same on that end. The former Defensive Player of the Year runner-up is posting a disappointing 118 defensive rating per 100 possessions.

Offensively, Bridges has been solid, averaging 17.2 points on 49.2% shooting. But if the Knicks want to tighten up defensively, they might consider shaking things up. One interesting idea? Trading Bridges for Minnesota’s Jaden McDaniels, a defensive specialist who could instantly upgrade their perimeter defense.

For the Timberwolves, Bridges’ expiring contract in 2026 offers financial flexibility, while McDaniels is locked into a five-year, $131 million deal. Offensively, Bridges could help Minnesota, which ranks 10th in offensive rating (114.5), by easing the scoring load on Anthony Edwards.

Meanwhile, McDaniels, a 2024 All-Defensive Second Team selection, is averaging 12.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.5 steals while posting an elite defensive box plus-minus of 1.4. The trade would make sense for both teams, but let’s be real—pulling off a deal like this is easier said than done.