Does Thibs need to adjust his rotation?

Injuries are an inherent part of professional basketball, be they freak occurrences or incidental mishaps. They can strike at any moment and are unavoidable. However, as the Knicks are tinkering with a lineup that is down to a seven-man rotation due to injury, last night’s Jalen Brunson injury scare put some things into perspective that the Knicks simply cannot afford another injury at this point. Literally. They would be down to a six-man rotation plus Alec Burks, regardless of the position at this point.

Whether it’s the Mike and Ike sugar rush or a lack of depth, Thibodeau and the Knicks have relied on Josh Hart to play without even a minute breather throughout most of the playoffs. He played the full 48 minutes once again last night. In Game 2 against Philadelphia, he also played the entire 48 minutes, and in Game 5, he endured the full 53 minutes of the Knicks’ overtime loss.

“I would say it’s because he saves it from not practicing. He competes during the games,” longtime teammate Jalen Brunson joked when asked where the 6-foot-4 Hart’s energy is derived. “So yeah, I don’t know, man. “The dude’s crazy. It’s how he’s wired.”

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Brunson, who was sidelined for most of the first half last night due to a sore foot, gave Knicks fans a real scare before summoning his own Willis Reed moment, coincidentally on the anniversary of the famous 1970 Finals incident. He, like OG Anunoby before his injury last night, has been consistently logging over 40 minutes per game throughout the playoffs.

Thibodeau has acknowledged that he checks in with Hart throughout the games to see if he does in fact need a break. “If he needs to come out, he’ll come out,” Thibodeau said. “Right now, we’re shorthanded. That gives us our best chance of winning. If that means we’ll cut back in practice, we’ll cut back in practice. But he’ll do a good job of getting himself ready, his recovery, and then out there, we find a way to win. If a guy has to play more minutes, he’ll play more minutes.”

With Mitchell Robinson and Bojan Bogdanovic joining Julius Randle on the injury list for the remainder of the season, and OG Anunoby’s status for tomorrow night uncertain, it’s impossible to ignore the elephant in the room. At what point is Thibodeau pushing the limit by not giving his players more rest, risking further injuries? While the recent injuries may have stemmed from freak accidents, the cumulative wear and tear on the body cannot be overlooked, as Knicks fans witnessed last night with Brunson. Balancing player rest and performance becomes increasingly crucial, especially in the heat of playoff competition.

While it’s difficult to argue with the results, having eliminated Philadelphia in the first round and now leading 2-0 against Indiana, the sustainability of this approach is in question. Should the Knicks emerge victorious from this series, they’ll face an even greater challenge against a significantly deeper Boston Celtics team widely anticipated as their opponents in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Knicks are now just 10 wins away from their first Championship since 1973. The Garden is buzzing with excitement in ways it hasn’t seen since 1994. Last night outside of the Garden, the Knicks faithful practically shut down 34th and 7th. But, if the Knicks are really going to push their way to the Finals, does Thibodeau need to re-examine his rotation for the long term, or just continue to take things one game at a time and stick with what is working?