Most NBA teams deal with significant injuries every year, and the Knicks are no different. After having their playoff run ended by a rash of injuries to several key players in 2024, they’ve dealt with constant problems in 2024-25. Luckily, their starting five has been relatively unharmed outside of OG Anunoby‘s short absence before the All-Star break. Fans and media are quick to blame Tom Thibodeau’s heavy minutes for the injuries, but many of them have simply been unfortunate breaks. Nonetheless, New York should take a cautious approach to the final 28 games as they prepare for an all-important postseason. Especially considering, the 2nd half starts off with a Josh Hart injury.
Knicks’ Latest Injury a Reminder They Should Rest Players
On Wednesday, it was announced that Josh Hart will miss New York’s first game after the break vs. Chicago. Josh Hart’s injury is “patellofemoral syndrome” in his right knee, a chronic condition that requires maintenance throughout the season. However, he should be fine to play the rest of the year, giving Knicks fans a sigh of relief. Whether or not the speculations about the injury being due to overuse are correct, NY must manage this issue carefully going forward. Surely the narratives over the next few days will blame Thibodeau for this latest malady, but the reality is that basketball players get hurt. Far more important is how the Knicks address it to make sure Hart and others are healthy for the postseason.
Josh Hart’s injury is patellofemoral syndrome in his right knee, per the NBA injury report. He will miss tomorrow’s game vs CHI – the Knicks’ first game following the All Star break. After the CHI game on Thursday, NYK plays at Cleveland on Friday and at Boston on Sunday.
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) February 19, 2025
New York is Essentially Locked Into the Three Seed
Thibodeau’s group is overwhelmingly likely to be the East’s third seed in the playoff bracket. They are eight games behind Cleveland for the one seed and five and a half games behind Boston for second. New York is also five and a half games up on Indiana, and six and a half ahead of Milwaukee for that third spot. With NY having the eighth-hardest remaining schedule and the Celtics the third-easiest, it seems implausible that they’d make up the two and a half game gap for home-court advantage in the second round.
The Knicks’ organization must acknowledge this reality and act accordingly over the final two months. They shouldn’t punt on games, as it’s important to continue gelling together with their newly-healthy rotation. They should also attack big games like their matchups with Cleveland and Boston this weekend with full intensity. With that said, every player in the top-ten should get regular rest, reasonable minutes, and sit on occasional back-to-backs. Any guy nursing a minor to moderate injury needs to sit out until he’s fully healthy again. The team has very little to play for standings-wise, and is now just out to prove they can hang with the league’s best, as well as continue building chemistry and forming their best strategies for the playoffs.
Sitting Hart On the Front-End of a Back-to-Back Is Wise
New York appears to be taking the prudent approach already with Hart, resting him at home against Chicago before playing the next night in Cleveland. It remains to be seen whether he’s just sitting to be cautious or if he’s more injured than it seems, but it’s the right approach. The Knicks are heavy favorites against the free-falling Bulls, giving them no reason to play Hart. They can handle Chicago without him. The team should follow this template for the rest of the campaign.
Finally Healthy Ten-Man Rotation Should Help
One of the reasons why instantly blaming Thibodeau every time he plays a guy heavy minutes or someone gets injured is silly is that at times, he’s had no choice. He spent much of the first half with just seven or eight playable bodies he trusted. Deuce McBride, Cameron Payne, and Precious Achiuwa have all missed time off the bench. They are now all fully recovered.
The return of Mitchell Robinson to a healthy unit gives him a full ten-man rotation to lean on. Barring further injury, Thibs will easily be able to spread out minutes amongst his guys. He’s shown a willingness to do this recently with nine players, and now he has his favorite big man back. New York has a situation every franchise dreams of. They have ten (relatively) healthy players for the stretch run of the season, capable of a deep playoff run. All that’s left to do is keep them healthy until mid-April. Start by managing this Josh Hart injury.
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