As the New York Knicks navigate the final stretch of the NBA regular season, swingman Mikal Bridges has approached head coach Tom Thibodeau with a request to scale back the heavy minutes typically assigned to starters. This comes amid concerns about player fatigue and injuries that have plagued the team.

“Sometimes it’s not fun on the body,” Bridges explained. “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.”

NBA News: New York Knicks’ Workloads Draw Criticism

This season, Bridges and teammate Josh Hart are leading the NBA with an average of 37.8 minutes per game, a statistic that underscores the Knicks’ reliance on their key players. OG Anunoby, Jalen Brunson, and Karl-Anthony Towns also rank among the top 25 for minutes played.

The heavy minutes have taken a toll, as highlighted by former Knicks big man Channing Frye, who recently criticized Thibodeau’s role in the team’s injury woes. Last season, key absences, including Brunson, OG Anunoby, Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson, and Bojan Bogdanović, contributed to a second-round playoff loss to the Indiana Pacers.

Currently, Brunson is sidelined with a sprained ankle sustained in a game where he logged 41 minutes.

NBA News: Mikal Bridges Please for Lighter Workload

Bridges, who has not missed a game since entering the league in 2018, shared his approach to managing the physical demands: “I think it’s something you never really get used to. 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.”

With the Knicks currently positioned as the third seed in the Eastern Conference and the playoffs on the horizon, Bridges’ request may prompt Thibodeau to reconsider his strategy.

New York is securely in third place, 5.5 games behind the second-seeded Boston Celtics and five games ahead of the fourth-seeded Milwaukee Bucks. This stable seeding allows Thibodeau to rest his starters more, potentially leading to a fresher lineup ready for the postseason challenges.

As the regular season winds down, the Knicks’ management of player minutes will be crucial in their quest for a deep playoff run. Bridges’ plea highlights the balance between competitive edge and long-term player health.