Tom Thibodeau is at it again. Time is merely a construct to the long-time NBA head coach, who is once again paying no mind to the minutes his starters spend on the court.
Josh Hart has now clocked 10 straight games with over 40 minutes of action. Over that span, he’s also recorded four COMPLETE games. This included playing 53 minutes in the OT battle against Philly in Game 5. According to Sportscenter, he’s now played the most complete games since Jimmy Butler did it five times during the Chicago Bulls’ 2012-13 playoff run.
What was the common denominator? The same crazy coach, of course!
Basketball-Reference noted that Hart has now played more minutes than any player through eight games in NBA history. Wow.
Josh Hart's 374 minutes played are the most by any player through the first 8 games of the playoffs since at least 1977.#NBA | #Knickspic.twitter.com/teOQwnONW4— Basketball Reference (@bball_ref) May 9, 2024
Hart has long been a player I’ve wanted to see in a Chicago Bulls uniform. He’s one of those reliable Swiss Army knives who sacrifices his body on nearly every play and consistently makes the right decision. Not to mention, Hart is one of the best rebounding guards we’ve seen over the past decade. He only stands six-foot-four but has averaged 7.9 rebounds per game since 2020-21. Can you imagine a team that has both Alex Caruso AND Josh Hart? That’s a borderline lethal level of calculated chaos!
Still, it’s hard not to worry about Thibs’ strategy coming back to bite him in the you-know-what. He’s racked up miles on his players ever since the Chicago days, and I have to imagine it plays a factor in at least some injury trouble. I mean, just last night the Knicks almost lost Jalen Brunson for the game with a sore foot. The broadcast couldn’t seem to catch anything in particular that caused the injury, which makes you wonder if it’s merely related to the workload. Brunson came into the game averaging nearly 44.0 minutes per contest. He was also taking about 29.0 shot attempts a night! Arguably no player in the postseason has had more weight on their shoulders. Can Thibs do anything to help relieve some of that pressure?
I’m sure some fans think it’s “soft” to express any level of concern over minutes played. It’s the playoffs, man! But there is a reason that practically every other team in the NBA is a little more conscious about load management. Do I think we at one point swung too far in one direction? Absolutely. Stars need to be on the floor. However, I think Thibs is probably still crossing the line.
Speaking of minutes, I still can’t believe DeMar DeRozan led the league this season at 34 years old. While this wasn’t the most minutes the Chicago Bulls’ forward ever played in his career, it was easily his most since 2013-14 with Toronto. Let’s also not fail to mention that he played in 79 games, as well! That was his most since the 2017-18 campaign, which was his last with the Raptors. I did start to worry a tad about DeRozan’s efficiency dropping off this season – his 48.0 percent clip was his lowest in six years – but I think workload could’ve surely played a role. We’ll find out next year, I guess.
I wish the Chicago Bulls had this kind of historic rivalry for fans to have fun with. Maybe if Chicago and Detroit could field competitive teams again? Still, even in the 90s, Michael Jordan was so dang dominant that it’s hard to say a true rivalry was ever formed. The case could be made there was one with the Big Apple, but MJ always walked away victorious. Honestly, I kind of still hate the Miami Heat the most after the early 2010s. While the Chicago Bulls never stole a playoff series from them, there were the kind of memorable wins and losses needed to help generate some real animosity.
Dana Evans is in a prime position to take the next step in her career this season, and she sounds ready:
Dana Evans on stepping into a bigger role with the Sky this season: “I paid my dues, I waited my time, I did everything I was supposed to do. … When you get an opportunity like this in the W, you really gotta take advantage of it.” pic.twitter.com/swPyhUjF7K— Julia Poe (@byjuliapoe) May 8, 2024
Media Day is in the books for the Chicago Sky! I’ll drop some fun moments that were shared over social media below. I also recommend you read Annie Costabile’s article on new head coach Theresa Weatherspoon for the Chicago Sun-Times!
Teresa Weatherspoon breaks down the identity of the Chicago Sky ahead of her first season as head coach: “We just want to play together.” pic.twitter.com/nGz9itzJt0— Julia Poe (@byjuliapoe) May 8, 2024
Angel Reese has infectious confidence. And she said she and Caleb have already talked about setting it off here in the city beautiful. Take a listen. #ChicagoSky#Bearspic.twitter.com/s0CK9kmPFd— Laurence Holmes (@LaurenceWHolmes) May 8, 2024
Isabelle Harrison showing off her grill on media day. A little background on how it was designed and the style choice to wear it today: pic.twitter.com/ExbjUfj3xo— Annie Costabile (@AnnieCostabile) May 8, 2024
Elias Schuster is the Lead Chicago Bulls writer at Bleacher Nation. He started with BN full-time in 2019 immediately after graduating from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign with a degree in Journalism (yes, he started with the Jim Boylen Era). Since joining, Elias has been the driving force behind Bulls and NBA content for both the site and social accounts. You can follow him on Twitter/X @Schuster_Elias.
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