New York Knicks: 3 Rotation changes to make after the All-Star break

Feb 7, 2022; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; New York Knicks forward Cam Reddish (21) reacts to a call in the second quarter against the Utah Jazz at Vivint Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 7, 2022; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; New York Knicks forward Cam Reddish (21) reacts to a call in the second quarter against the Utah Jazz at Vivint Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports /
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New York Knicks
New York Knicks Tom Thibodeau (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

The New York Knicks will need to change certain players’ roles

After losing 10 of their past 12 games, the New York Knicks’ record has fallen to nine games below .500 and they now sit squarely in the Eastern Conference’s 12th seed.

With a full 3.5 games separating them from the final play-in tournament spot and a difficult remaining schedule, it’s time for the focus to shift throughout the rest of the season. That starts with head coach Tom Thibodeau’s rotation.

The Knicks front office attempted to replicate last season’s success by compiling a roster filled with both young players and veterans, although the results have been much more inconsistent.

As he tends to do, Thibodeau has leaned heavily on the older players to try and grind out wins. 6 of the team’s 8 top players in minutes per game are at least 27 years old.

With the season spiraling back down to the lottery, it would make sense for Thibodeau to alter his rotation to accommodate the team’s numerous young prospects.

In the best-case scenario, the younger players thrive in extended minutes and start racking up wins. In the worst-case scenario, the prospects still get valuable experience while the team improves their draft odds.

Either way, it’s better than continuing to lose on the backs of players who likely won’t be on the team in 2-3 years.

Here are three rotation tweaks that Tom Thibodeau can utilize in order to make the most out of a disappointing year.