PORTLAND — Mikal Bridges asked Tom Thibodeau to back off a bit on the starters’ minutes because the bench deserves more.
“Sometimes it’s not fun on the body,” Bridges said. “You’ll want that as a coach but also talked to him a little bit knowing that we’ve got a good enough team where our bench guys can come in and we don’t need to play 48 (minutes), 47.
“We’ve got a lot of good guys on this team that can take away minutes. Which helps the defense, helps the offense, helps tired bodies being out there and giving up all these points. It helps just keeping fresh bodies out there.”
Bridges said Thibodeau was receptive but “sometimes I think he just gets in his ways.”
“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,” Bridges said. “Sometimes you’ve got to tell him, like Landry (Shamet), for example or somebody, keep him out there, they’re playing well.”
Bridges is the poster player for durability with the NBA’s longest consecutive games streak and this season’s leader in total minutes. But the 28-year-old said the workload isn’t easy.
“I think it’s something you never really get used to,” Bridges said. “Your body is going to feel how it is every year. But I’ve been a part of it for a while, knowing how to take care of my body through those situations and just trying to do as much as I can.”
Thibodeau’s minutes distribution has long been a hot button issue as he’s been accused of overworking players to the detriment of their health. The latest accusation arrived from former Knick Channing Frye, who blamed the coach for the Knicks injuries.
“There’s no way you can go dumb hard for 40 minutes every single night in a game,” Frye said. “That’s why it’s frustrating because the Knicks have all the talent in the world. Every year, it’s a repeat thing of ‘oh, man, the Knicks are really good, oh hamstring, oh foot, oh hamstring, hamstring, hamstring, knees, knees. They must have a deal with a doctor! What is going on? Give them a chance to be great. You need a break. Just give [the starters] 35 minutes.”
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Currently, Jalen Brunson is the only injured Knicks starter with a sprained ankle. Three of the Knicks starters are in the top 10 in average minutes, including No. 1 Josh Hart, who has said he appreciates the increased playing time.
Bridges, who was acquired by the Knicks in the summer for five first-round draft picks, has endured a roller-coaster season with dips in his production from last season with the Nets.
“I think there’s a lot more (I can still show),” Bridges said. “I think — that goes in within it a lot. Things that are systematic or our schemes offensively and stuff — just trying to find the right situations. And trying to make the right read every time I get a chance.”