A decade after running Luol Deng into the ground, Tom Thibodeau hasn’t learned a thing

You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau has become living proof of this popular phrase as he continues to operate under the same philosophy he did during his time with the Chicago Bulls over a decade ago: Running his starters into the ground. 

As a head coach, Thibodeau has become known as a defensive mastermind who isn’t afraid to give his starters large workloads and playing time. While his strategies have made him one of the winningest coaches of his time, it has failed to result in postseason success. Now, instead of giving Derrick Rose, Luol Deng, Joakim Noah, and Jimmy Butler big minutes, he’s doing the same to Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle, Isaiah Hartenstein, and the newly-acquired OG Anunoby.

Tom Thibodeau isn't concerned about minutes

Last night, the Knicks defeated the Chicago Bulls 116-100 with point guard Jalen Brunson leading the way, scoring 31 points and recording 13 assists while playing 38 minutes en route to their second consecutive win of 2024. That came after he played over 40 minutes in both of his two previous games. Knicks beat writer for the New York Daily News, Kristian Winfield, asked Thibodeau about Brunson’s workload, to which the two-time NBA Coach of the Year Award winner downplayed the matter. “He’s fine. 38 minutes. That’s what these guys play,” Thibodeau said, per Winfield.

Thibodeau’s track record speaks for itself. From 2011 to 2015 (when Thibodeau was coach of the Bulls), a Bulls player led the NBA in minutes per game in three of the four seasons. Luol Deng did it twice, averaging roughly 39 minutes per game from 2011-2013. Jimmy Butler did it in 2014-15, averaging 38.66 minutes per game. Both struggled with injuries after those seasons, particularly Deng who never really recovered his form after that run.

Rose enjoyed the greatest success of his career with Thibodeau in Chicago, becoming the youngest player in NBA history to win the MVP Award in 2010-11 when he averaged 37.4 minutes per game. Rose averaged at least 36.8 minutes per game in the first three seasons of his career and has struggled with significant career-altering knee injuries since.

In last night’s win over the Bulls, four starters played no less than 34 minutes, three of which exceeded 36 minutes. Given the recent acquisition of Anunoby, the Knicks bench isn’t as deep as it once was, which is encouraging Thibodeau to continue giving his starters big minutes. When will he learn?