Knicks Taking Playoff Risk With Minutes Strategy

The New York Knicks have surprised nobody this season with their methods on how to win.

The Knicks have relied on their stars through and through, playing them heavy minutes all season long. That's a philosophy that head coach Tom Thibodeau has adopted for a while, even if it ends in his own detriment.

The Athletic contributor Law Murray questions whether the Knicks' strategy will come back to haunt them in the playoffs.

"The minutes police have been loud all season. Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart are Nos. 1 and 2 in total minutes played this season. OG Anunoby ranks ninth. Karl-Anthony Towns ranks 26th. And Jalen Brunson ranks 50th. Brunson’s injury allowed others to step up, though, and New York survived his absence by going 9-6. Brunson is back in time with him needing three more games to reach the 65-game award threshold," Murray writes.

This has long been a criticism of the Knicks and coach Thibodeau, dating back to his time with the Chicago Bulls.

Last year, the strategy may have backfired on the Knicks as multiple players struggled to stay healthy for the postseason run, leading to New York's second-round exit for a second consecutive year.

It hasn't been proven that the heavy minutes for the top of the rotation is the direct reason behind the Knicks' struggles in the playoffs, but it certainly hasn't helped. However, it's a new season and anything can happen during the playoffs for the Knicks.

Perhaps it will work to their benefit as every team's rotation tends to shrink a bit going into the playoffs, and the Knicks will already have that leg up on the competition.

The only way to see if this will help or hurt the Knicks is to see it play out in the postseason.