Mikal Bridges is the modern NBA Ironman. Sine entring he leagues in 2018, he famously has not missed a game and is leading the league in minutes this season, averaging 37.6 per game.
However, it’s starting to wear down on him. He recently publically asked head coach Tom Thibodeau to lean on the bench unit a little more, giving the starters a much-needed break before the postseason starts.
NBA legend Carmelo Anthony recently weighed in on Bridges asking for a break.
“Mikal Bridges is tired,” said Anthony on his self-titled podcast. “This guy ain’t missing games since high school. Jalen Brunson ain’t say he’s tired but injuries will tell you that he’s fatigued, that you dealing with something. We just don’t have opportunities to take time away from the game to cater to these [problems].”
Anthony thinks that Bridges’ argument is perfectly reasonable and will only help the team in the postseason. https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/EnQ0aRLF4LI?enablejsapi=1
“[Bridges] didn’t say he wanted to sit out, he said we got other guys who should be getting ready for playoffs as well,” Anthony argued. “We don’t have to play that much. Let’s build them up, to get ready for the playoffs. That’s the political answer. The other side of it is ‘I’m tired as s___, what we doing man? I read between the lines”.
Of course, the Knicks will still make Bridges a central part of their lineup, but with bench players Cameron Payne, Tyler Kolek, and Miles McBride (when healthy) playing well recently, their confidence could continue to build well into the playoffs.
If the coaching staff doesn’t believe that they have a solid bench rotation, then investing in depth needs to be a priority this offseason, but until that happens, the Knicks need to avoid fatigue-related injuries as much as possible.
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