Jalen Brunson's Usage Reportedly 'Raised Concerns' Prior to Knicks Firing Thibodeau

One of the potential reasons the New York Knicks fired head coach Tom Thibodeau this week was the heavy minutes he played star point guard Jalen Brunson, one of the familiar critiques of Thibodeau's coaching style throughout his career.

According to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, "there were more general concerns about how much Thibodeau relied on Brunson" and that "Brunson's usage, which under Thibodeau has been the highest of his career, raised concerns. One league source suggested history could serve as a warning precedent—that Brunson, who missed games this season because of ankle and calf injuries, would struggle to hold up long term without a more layered or balanced offensive system, just as Derrick Rose had faltered when he played for Thibodeau in Chicago."

That, of course, wasn't the only reason for the change.

"He got out-coached [in the Eastern Conference Finals]," a league source familiar with the situation told Shelburne. "The Game 1 collapse was insane. If they don't have that collapse, who knows what happens."

Shelburne additionally noted that Thibs' firing "had been trending in that direction for months," given that New York "simply wasn't maximizing its talent." Team president Leon Rose met with the players this week following their six-game series loss to Indiana and it was "clear to Rose that the organization needed a new voice."

Thibodeau led the Knicks to four playoff appearances in five seasons on the job and got them back to the ECF for the first time since the 1999-00 campaign. He helped change a floundering culture. But the current group didn't take that next step under his leadership, making the change for the title-hungry Knicks understandable.