Knicks' Tom Thibodeau in prime form with bonkers MIkal Bridges minutes in 24-point win
12/06/2024 11:53 AM
The New York Knicks had a convincing win against the Charlotte Hornets, and it came with big minutes from New York’s starting lineup. The player with the most minutes played was Mikal Bridges, who finished with 47. Bridges has always been a player who has been available when needed, and head coach Tom Thibodeau is known for maxing out his players’ minutes as much as he can. In other words, you can say that both Bridges and Thibodeau are a match made in heaven.
Even Knicks reporter Stefan Bondy noticed what Thibodeau was doing and wrote on X, formerly Twitter, “This fourth quarter almost has me becoming a minutes police informant.”
One of the reasons Thibodeau probably kept Bridges in the game was because he was a +26 on the court, which was the highest +/- in the game. Bridges finished with 19 points, seven assists, and three rebounds.
Mikal Bridges still trying to find role with Knicks
It’s been up and down for Mikal Bridges in his first season with the Knicks on both sides of the ball. At the start of the year, many criticized his jump shot, which seemed to be affecting his shooting numbers as well. For a guy who has been a solid shooter since coming into the league, it was strange why he changed his shot out of nowhere. To add to that, his defense hadn’t been that impactful, either.
As the season has progressed, it looks like Bridges is starting to fit into his role, but the chemistry isn’t all the way there yet. If the Knicks have championship aspirations, Bridges will be the key to get them to where they want to go. Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns will put up their numbers every night, but it will be players such as Bridges and OG Anunoby that will shape how successful this team can really be.
Tom Thibodeau may have decided to play Bridges so many minutes because he wants him to play through it and figure it out, but the head coach has a track record of playing his players a lot of minutes. Sometimes, that’s not the best idea because it could lead to an unnecessary injury, especially if the game is pretty much already decided.
Despite any struggles that Bridges may have, the Knicks are 14-8 and fourth in the Eastern Conference, and they’ll continue to stack wins throughout the season with the amount of talent they have on the team.
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