Much of the recent talk surrounding the New York Knicks was the poor play of Mikal Bridges. With the high price New York paid to acquire Bridges, it was concerning to see him come up small repeatedly in their biggest games. The former Net seemed unsure of himself over the weekend in Cleveland and Boston and has looked off for much of the season. Luckily, Bridges responded in a big way in the Knicks 110-105 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Mikal Bridges Silences Doubters With Vintage Performance
After failing to score 20-plus points in seven straight outings, Bridges dropped 19 points in the first quarter vs. Philly. He nearly outscored the Sixers’ 21 points by himself in the opening frame, making his first six shots of the game. Bridges finished with 28 points on 12-18 from the field and 3-5 from deep. He also answered the call defensively, pressuring Philly’s elite ball-handlers consistently all night long. Tyrese Maxey and Paul George shot 4/14 with Bridges as their primary defender in the game. The Villanova product has quietly been improving on that end for a while now, but New York needs him to get closer to his former Defensive Player of the Year level.
Knicks Desperately Need This Version of Bridges Going Forward
While Bridges’ vintage performance was encouraging to see, it came versus one of the worst teams in the NBA. Sure, Philadelphia is better than their astonishing 20-38 record, but New York needs him to perform this way against the league’s elite teams. Against the Cavaliers and Celtics previously, Bridges scored just 14 points and was extremely ineffective. (Eight of his points against Boston came in garbage time).
In his 28-point outburst last night, Bridges scored in every way possible. He hit catch-and-shoot threes and off-the-dribble threes. He scored in the mid-range off the bounce and from teammates creating space. Bridges even drove for layups in the half-court and in transition, which has been rare this season. Similarly, he shot his first free throws since February 4th, a huge problem for the Knicks. Bridges simply needs to be more aggressive across the board for New York to reach their ceiling. They traded five first-round picks for him, and he has to be their clear third option against contending teams. OG Anunoby is a great player, but he’s not a great offensive creator and has struggled since his hot start.
New York Should Emphasize Getting Him Involved
The Knicks have zero championship hopes if Mikal Bridges doesn’t play up to his potential. Every other contender has a third option who’s sure of himself, and NY mortgaged its future to say the same. So, as Tom Thibodeau’s group plays out a relatively meaningless final 24 games (standings-wise), one of their main goals should be to build up his confidence. Just last season, Bridges was the first option on the Nets and averaged 26.1 points a night in 27 games with Brooklyn in 2022-23. Bridges has the tools to be much more aggressive; he just needs to access them. It’s up to the Knicks to make that happen, and their fate largely depends on it.
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