The Los Angeles Lakers get to watch another championship contender get sent into turmoil after a disappointing end to their season. The New York Knicks have decided to move on from head coach Tom Thibodeau.
Shams Charania broke the news on Twitter/X on Tuesday afternoon that the Knicks were parting ways with their coach of five years. Despite strong success, featuring four playoff appearances and one Eastern Conference Finals berth during his time in New York, the Knicks gave him the boot.
The statement from team president Leon Rose suggested a lack of belief in Thibodeau being the guy who could ultimately bring the Knicks over the top and help them secure a championship. Rose called the decision one that was 'best for our organization moving forward.'
One member of the Lakers who should be paying close attention to the events of today is JJ Redick. There is a major lesson to be learned from Thibodeau's downfall that the new head coach will need to take away from the situation.
Thibodeau's failed coaching philosophy is one to steer clear of for Redick
The main thing the former Knicks coach is notorious for would be his philosophy of running his top players into the ground. That has been no less true in the 2025 NBA Playoffs.
The top five players who have played the most minutes in these playoffs are all Knicks. Mikal Bridges (706.0), OG Anunoby (704.9), Jalen Brunson (680.1), Josh Hart (642.4), and Karl-Anthony Towns (639.4) lead the list for total minutes played in this postseason.
Granted, the Knicks enjoyed a long playoff run so that was somewhat to be expected. However, it is still jarring to see just how much more minutes played those guys have than the next closest player on the list, which would be Anthony Edwards with 584.8 minutes played.
Even when adjusting for the averages, the same five Knicks players mentioned above all registered at least 35 minutes per game. Four of the five were in the top 30 of that list, with only Towns missing out by two spots.
When assessing that same list, one notable thing stands out immediately. Four Lakers players also find themselves in the top 30.
Luka Doncic (41.6) and LeBron James (40.7) both find themselves in the top five. Austin Reaves (39.3) registers in the top 10 as well.
Everyone in Los Angeles should remember the embarrassment of the Game 4 loss which had only five Lakers players playing the entire second half. It is unfortunately all too easy to draw the comparisons in approaches here.
Redick should naturally be afforded much more leniency as a rookie head coach who was still figuring things out. There is also the argument that JJ's move was one bred out of necessity, as opposed to Thibodeau's established pattern of behavior.
Still, habits can be tough to break once they have been started. For Redick, Thibodeau should serve as a cautionary tale of why the philosophy of relying too heavily on your top guys will get you nowhere in the long run.