Josh Hart Slams ‘Idiotic’ Criticism of Knicks HC for Injuries, Calls Out ‘Ignorance’

Adam WellsMay 14, 2024

Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images

New York Knicks forward Josh Hart is pushing back against criticism for head coach Tom Thibodeau because of how many minutes he’s relied on his top players in the postseason.

Speaking to reporters ahead of Tuesday’s game against the Indiana Pacers, Hart called out the “idiotic” criticism of Thibodeau that stems from “ignorance” of not knowing what’s going on in their building.

Steve Popper @StevePopperJosh Hart on Thibodeau criticism for injuries and fatigue: “You expect ignorance when people have no idea what goes on in this building. People love to have a narrative or a label and run with it. None of those guys are here watching us practice. … It’s idiotic to put on him.”

Thibodeau has a reputation for putting a heavy minutes load on his starters throughout his coaching career. He was dealing with questions about it in 2012 after Derrick Rose tore his ACL in Game 1 of a playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Those questions continued to follow the coach when he was with the Minnesota Timberwolves. They have gotten louder this postseason because the Knicks are currently playing without Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson and OG Anunoby.

Randle has been out of action since Jan. 27 due to a dislocated shoulder that required season-ending surgery. Robinson will likely miss the rest of the season after having ankle surgery due to a stress reaction.

Anunoby is expected to miss his third straight game when the Knicks host the Pacers in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Tuesday. He suffered a hamstring injury in the third quarter of New York’s Game 2 win.

Jalen Brunson suffered a foot injury in Game 2 that kept him out for the entire second quarter. He was able to return for the second half, playing all 24 minutes and scoring 24 points.

In the two games played in Indianapolis, Brunson averaged 22.0 points on 37.2 percent shooting.

Hart, Brunson and Anunoby are all averaging at least 40.0 minutes per game in the postseason. Donte DiVincenzo has been on the floor for 35.5 minutes per contest in 10 playoff starts. No other team that made the playoffs has more than two players averaging at least 40 minutes per game.

This comes after Brunson averaged a career-high 35.4 minutes per game during the regular season and Hart had the second-highest minutes-per-game average of his career (33.4).

In Game 4 against the Pacers, which the Knicks lost by 32 and never got within 17 points after the second minute of the second quarter, Brunson and DiVincenzo both played more than 30 minutes. Hart got a rest with just 24 minutes of game time.

The injuries have forced Thibodeau to play with a shorter rotation, but it’s also not unreasonable to think all of the extra minutes players like Brunson, Hart and Anunoby have been asked to play is contributing to the current state of the roster.

Hart and the Knicks will attempt to take back control of the series against the Pacers in Game 5 at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night. The Knicks are 4-1 at home in the postseason.