Remember last season when injuries decimated the New York Knicks? Unfortunately, you certainly do. It all began in December when Mitchell Robinson injured his ankle and had surgery, and ended in Game 7 of the second round when Jalen Brunson broke his hand.
The Knicks were without Julius Randle for the entirety of the playoffs after he dislocated his shoulder in January, OG Anunoby injured his hamstring in Game 2 of the second round, Robinson had surgery (again) on his ankle, Bojan Bogdanovic hurt his foot in Game 4 of the second round, and Brunson hurt his hand.
Believe it or not, none of those injuries had to do with Tom Thibodeau, even though some in the media tried to re-spin that narrative during the postseason (subscription required). It's starting to pick up steam again this season because the injuries haven't stopped.
Jalen Brunson sprained his ankle last Thursday in a loss to the Lakers, and he will be out for at least two weeks. Was Thibodeau to blame for that injury? No. Not according to Channing Frye, though.
Channing Frye blames Thibodeau for starters injuries and not utilizing his bench pic.twitter.com/BEzh6S2jd8
— Stefan Bondy (@SbondyNBA) March 11, 2025
Channing Frye goes on rant about Tom Thibodeau and Knicks starters
Frye, who spent the first two seasons of his NBA career in New York, talked about Thibodeau and the Knicks starters on NBA TV before the Knicks' win over the Kings on Monday. He said Thibs runs his starters into the ground, resulting in injuries racking up, derailing the end of the season. He joked that New York must "have a deal with a doctor."
It's true that Thibodeau needs to turn to his bench more often (play Tyler Kolek more, please), but to say the injuries are because of the high minutes his starters play is untrue. Saying that the Knicks finish the season on a skid because of the injuries is also false.
Frye is off here with how Thibs’ teams finish.
— Stefan Bondy (@SbondyNBA) March 11, 2025
Last season: Knicks won 6 of last 7 games and 14 of final 20.
Year prior: 14 of their final 20.
Year before that: 7 of 10. https://t.co/KBDdbyKtYC
It's a lazy take that doesn't hold weight. Hearing it be repeated every season has gotten old. There isn't a Knicks injury that you can pinpoint on Thibodeau.
Out of all the valid Thibodeau criticisms, the media likes the 'injuries are his fault' one the most. Prepare for it to gear up even more when the postseason rolls around, especially when New York is close to being eliminated. It's ol' reliable at this point.