Knicks forward Mikal Bridges‘ early-season struggles continued on Friday as he recorded eight points on 3-of-10 shooting and was a team-worst -14 vs. Charlotte. Although he played 37 minutes, Bridges was benched for most of the fourth quarter — he was pulled with the Knicks down by four points and 8:25 remaining and checked back in for defensive purposes with 13 seconds left and New York up by four.
As Stefan Bondy of The New York Post writes, head coach Tom Thibodeau explained after the comeback victory that he went with Miles McBride over Bridges in crunch time because McBride was “fresh” and “making shots,” adding that the Knicks were “sort of in the mud.” Bridges called it the right decision.
“I got to play better. I’ve been inconsistent,” Bridges said. “I’ve had some games where I’ve played good, some I haven’t. Just got to find a rhythm within the team. That’s pretty much it. Not even 20 games in, still just trying to figure it out. … I had a lot of sloppy turnovers. Couple of times (where the opponent) scored on me getting into the middle. I’ll be better.”
Bridges leads the NBA in minutes played (38.1 MPG) through his first 19 outings, but has seen his production decline across the board. He’s averaging 15.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game and has career-worst shooting percentages of 30.6% on three-pointers and 61.5% on free throws. After getting to the foul line 4.1 times per game over the previous two seasons, he’s averaging just 0.7 attempts per night so far in 2024/25.
The Knicks acquired Bridges from Brooklyn over the summer by giving up a significant package of draft assets that included five first-round picks (four unprotected) and a pick swap. The return on that investment has been modest so far, but Bridges and his teammates remain confident that it’s just a matter of time until he finds his footing in New York.
“I’m not worried about (Bridges),” Knicks forward Josh Hart said after Friday’s game, per Bondy. “I think the media and people are killing him. He’s in a new situation. He’s in a situation where he’s played 19 games in a different role that he’s played the last four years. So it’s our job to get him going.
“And all the other BS about what we gave up, it means nothing. If we win, if we get a championship, ain’t nobody give a damn about how many picks we gave up. We could’ve given up 15 picks, it don’t matter. At the end of the day, we’re trying to win a championship. He’s going to be a key piece of that.”
Good to hear that they’re talking about the elephant in the room. I do wonder if making him the 6th man would snap him out of this funk. Doubt Thibs will try it, but who knows
Right now, they don’t have the personnel to try it. When Mitchell Robinson comes back (still a ways out), he will probably start and someone will have to go to the bench. The obvious answer had been Hart, but if Bridges is still playing like this (and Hart continues his strong play), Bridges being 6th man could maybe happen.
There’s still a long way to go, though. And also worth noting that Mitch probably wouldn’t play much more than 20 minutes per game.
I haven’t watched any Knicks…is this a bridges issue or too many guys who need the ball?
Good point. It may be hard for Bridges to play next to ball dominant Brunson and now Towns as well. He won’t get as many touches. Hopefully he’ll find his place.
“if we win, we get a championship”
Deep.
That’s not what he said
The Knicks haven’t even played 20 games. Bridges is in a new situation with huge expectations placed on him. It takes time to adjust. It is more important how they finish than how they start.
The point is, they have to beat the Celtics to get out of the East, who are starting just like they finished.
Umm…Boston has 63 more games to play. When Golden State won in 2022, they struggled all year long. They started 18-2 and barely made it into the playoffs. Anything can happen. It is not a given who will be in the playoffs.
Also infinitely more continuity, which I find people tend to underestimate as as relevant factor time and time again. Changing teams, roles, and usage is not easy. Some guys are better at handling it, many others aren’t. Bridges will probably be fine, particularly defensive. You don’t just forget how to play defense overnight.
The even-funkier-than-normal shooting mechanics are more of a concern, but if there’s anyone who can eventually figure that out it’s Bridges. Time will tell on that one.
Knicks and Wolves destroyed their seasons by not running back as much of last years squads as they could. Team chemistry is everything, the vibes are everything.
I wouldn’t read to much into this. Thibs just went with the hot hand. Bridges was having a bad game and McBride was playing well. The Knicks overall had a pretty rough game (tons of turnovers, lazy play, not getting to loose balls) and Thibs needed to spark the team. We’re not even in December yet. Bridges will figure it out.
Sometimes you have to think some of these people are new to following sports with their panties on fire over the Knicks start. Coaches and players are still figuring things out. They are in the playoffs right now, and can get better. Teams have up and down stretches. It is not uncommon for Teams to collapse before the playoffs.
@Giants74: yep, totally agree. Overreacting to everything is what sports fandom and journalism has come to. You need to have a hot take about every little thing now. Patience, let the team work it out.
Thibs is damned if he doesn’t (called stubborn, refuses to make adjustments), damned if he does (inviting controversy). Good for him for going with the latter and prioritizing the win.
Knicks overperformed last year. Then drastically changed the team. They aren’t going anywhere.
Isn’t this the 2nd or 3rd time he’s said this exact quote this season?
Bridges was NOT “benched”, he didn’t finish. It wasn’t a punishment, or personal in any sense. Just a determination that a finishing 5 without him gave the team a better chance to win that game. Thibs has made similar decisions since he’s been here. Right determination? Who knows, but he knows his players better than anyone and it was backed by a minus-14 in-game. Nothing really to talk about. Apparently, Bridges agrees.
Donte did the same thing last year. Needed time to adjust to the team and get his shot right. Once he did, he slid right into the starting lineup and never looked back. Bridges will be fine – he’s too good not to be.
As for the defense, that would be my concern. No one with the exception of OG is playing up to their level of D. They need to correct that end of the floor before anything else, and increase their aggression on the offensive boards. When PA and MR are back, I’d like to see PA start to help out on the boards and have MR, MMB and JH come off the bench. That infusion of hustle and D can change a game and bring them back to a solid 8 to 9 deep.
The reason the fans and media are on him is because he broke his own jumper by screwing with his mechanics. Mans is in Isaac Okoro’s role making him look like a sharpshooter.