Knicks Must Avoid Burnout to Win Title

The New York Knicks must pace themselves and utilize their depth next season.

Jeremy Brener | Aug 28, 2024

May 2, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) in game six of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

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New York Knicks

The New York Knicks are one of the league's best teams and they made a deep playoff run this past season, but they struggled with depth down the stretch.

Those struggles ultimately cost the Knicks in their seven-game series loss to the Indiana Pacers in the second round of the playoffs.

Bleacher Report writer Eric Pincus believes that needs to change if they want to make a deeper run this season.

"The Knicks look like they're poised for a strong season, but can Tom Thibodeau manage his players' minutes so they're not burnt out and injured in the playoffs? Historically, he can't seem to help himself—he's a great coach, but he tends to grind his players down with a heavy workload," Pincus writes.

Thibodeau will have more options to work with as he crafts his rotation for the upcoming season. Namely, Mikal Bridges' addition to the lineup will help out tremendously. Bridges has yet to miss a game in his six-year career so far, so the Knicks can depend on him for a good chunk of minutes at multiple positions.

On top of that, the Knicks added veteran point guard Cam Payne, who will be able to eat up some minutes throughout the regular season. He may not be a huge factor when the Knicks get to the playoffs, but he has the chance to be a valuable piece to the puzzle.

The Knicks will also look to upgrade their roster and add some pieces throughout the regular season.

Injuries are a definite in the NBA. Some teams get stung by the injury bug more than others, but every team has to deal with it in some regard. That means that it will ultimately come down to how the Knicks handle these injuries that will determine how far they go this season.

Make sure you bookmark New York Knicks on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

Published Aug 28, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.