The New York Knicks lost their third consecutive game on Monday night. That 94-103 home defeat against an injury-laden Orlando Magic exposed some of the bigger concerns in the Knicks’ top-heavy roster.
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NBA analyst Ashley Nicole Moss argued that Thibodeau’s excessive reliance on his starters, paired with an especially thin roster this season, are growing points of concern in New York. “If you look at the stats, five players have played 610 minutes this season — that’s nearly 200 minutes more than any other starting lineup in the NBA,” Nicole Moss said on CBS Sports.
The Knicks are certainly lacking firepower off the bench, but their current roster construction is placing most of the burden on the starters. The top three players leading the NBA in minutes this season are Knicks’ starters Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, and OG Anunoby.
“We saw it last season. It was a situation where the Knicks were not healthy when it mattered the most because they are driven into the ground during the regular season…These guys are exhausted, they are fatigued. You run into the risk of more injuries, and it’s only January,” Nicole Moss added.
five Knicks players have played 610 mins this season —that's 200 mins more than ANY other starting lineup in the NBA.
"the reality of the situation is you need your top six players healthy (…) we saw this last season. the Knicks can't continue this trajectory."@CBSSports pic.twitter.com/CW17JDbJxF
— Ashley Nicole Moss (@AshNicoleMoss) January 7, 2025
Bridges, Hart and Anunoby may have played the most minutes in the NBA this season but New York’s other two starters aren’t far behind. Jalen Brunson is 7th in total minutes and Karl Anthony-Towns is 23rd. No team has even four players in the top 50 while the Knicks have five in the top 25. And it’s already catching up to them.
The reason KAT even fell out of the top 20 is because he was sidelined with a knee injury on Monday. After their disappointing loss to the Magic, Thibodeau himself admitted that fatigue is hindering his team near the mid-point of the season.
How do the Knicks acquire more depth?
During their recent three-game losing streak, New York’s bench was outscored 50-18 by the Magic, 31-17 by the Bulls and 44-5 by the Thunder. In fact, the last time the Knicks reserves outscored an opposing bench unit was on December 1st.
The incredible resilience of Hart, Bridges and Anunoby helped the team still come away with a 9-game win streak and a 12-2 record in December. However, the sustainability of that strategy is rightfully being questioned now.
Towns was visibly gassed in the appearances leading up to his injury and even the healthy starters seem to be suffering in late-game situations. During the first three quarters, the Knicks boast a positive net rating of 10.7. In the deciding fourth quarter, their net rating plummets to -5.7 as the starters inevitably run of out steam.
Even though rotational players like McBride and Achiuwa have missed games throughout the season, the Knicks would only benefit from acquiring new talent for their bench.
A potential trade could see them part ways with Mitchell Robinson — who is yet to make his season debut and is owed $26 million through 2026 — in exchange for a reliable backup big. The Knicks are capped at the second apron so they won’t be able to bring in any big contracts without moving Robinson.
Nick Richards from the Hornets or Jonas Valanciunas from the Wizards would bring more availability and help Thibodeau stagger the frontcourt minutes in a more sustainable manner. Alternatively, they could look to acquire a veteran creator like Jordan Clarkson or Collin Sexton to run their second unit and elevate their league-worst bench scoring.
