CHICAGO — If it's not a matter of minutes distribution, it's a depth problem.
And in any case, this issue was on full display Friday night against Oklahoma City — not just because the Knicks were dominated down the stretch, but also because of the stark contrast between them and their opponent.
The NBA's hottest team, the Thunder, had a rotation 10 deep and their bench scored 44 points.
The Knicks, on the other hand, used just eight players and managed just five points from their reserves.
All of the Knicks' starters played at least 40 minutes in the 117-107 loss to the Thunder. This is the first time this has happened in the regular season for the franchise since 2013.
Coach Tom Thibodeau called a timeout three minutes into the fourth quarter as the lead narrowed from eight to two, reinserting his starters and letting them play the rest of the game.
“Obviously, we had an eight-point lead going into the fourth. And we know the intensity of the fourth quarter is going to be different. And we prepared for it. We have to, and we fell short tonight,” Thibodeau said. “And our bench is competent, more than competent. And our starters are more than competent. So we win together, we lose together. And once again, we're focused. , just fix what needs to be fixed.”
Much of it is predictable and well-documented.
The Knicks used up so many resources to build an elite starting lineup that they were left with a second-round rookie on the bench, Bird Rights for Precious Achiuwa, and zero cap space.
The upside is that the starters have been more successful than expected and have become more cohesive by spending so much time together on the court.
No other five-man team in the NBA can match the minutes played by the Knicks' starters.
It also has a net rating of +5.5.
The downside is that the Knicks aren't built to withstand injuries — like Miles McBride escaped Friday's loss with a hamstring injury.
Thibodeau's detractors have stopwatches to graph playing time and can point out that the Knicks' four players are among the top six in total minutes played.
But the reality is that the Knicks' unused players on Friday night were two second-round picks (Tyler Kolek and Jericho Sims), an in-season journeyman pick (Matt Ryan), and an undrafted signing. (Jacob Toppin).
Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein was on both sides of Friday's faceoff.
He wanted to dispel the idea that Thibodeau overworked his players.
“A lot of people think of Thisbus as practicing every day. ,” Hartenstein said. “So I think he’s changing in that aspect.
“Yeah, he’s going to play against you a lot in games, but he gets a day off. [Thunder coach Mark Daigneault] It's different in that respect. But we also have a deeper team. So he can afford to play with 10 guys. ”
The effects of leg fatigue are difficult to quantify, and there were other reasons why the Knicks lost to the Thunder. The most obvious one is that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a bonafide MVP candidate and they picked them apart.
The other was waiving Karl-Anthony Towns in the fourth quarter as Jalen Brunson forced the issue and committed two costly turnovers. He took only two shots.
But the Thunder also had more depth than the Knicks and were fresher down the stretch.
That is the only disadvantage they will accept against other top teams this season.
Not that players complain about the load.
“At the end of the day, it doesn't matter. We've got to come out aggressive in the fourth quarter and win the game,” Josh Hart said after playing a game-high 44 minutes in OKC. “I've always said you want to go out as much as you can because at that point, it's just the competitive spirit and the adrenaline that pushes you. At that point, we've got to make sure we execute.”
