Mikal Bridges’ role on both ends of the floor is changing under new Knicks head coach Mike Brown.
Bridges, the NBA’s reigning Ironman and a proven stopper at the point of attack, was often tasked with checking lead guards last year. But under Brown, he’ll operate as a roaming, matchup-proof weapon — a defensive Swiss Army knife deployed against the league’s most dangerous scorers, wherever they line up.
“He will [guard the point of attack] some,” Brown said after Wednesday’s practice in Tarrytown. “If Reggie Miller was still playing, I’d throw him on Reggie, because I think he navigates screens well, and with those long strides, he can stay close to a shooter’s body, and then he’s contesting and he’s got long arms.
“But then if we need to put him on a point guard, because, again, he’s able to navigate through screens and if he does get hit, people still feel him. They feel him coming with his length, and so we’ll mix it up. He won’t always be at the point of the ball. He won’t always chase shooters.”
Brown said he and Bridges didn’t discuss his on-ball role this summer — because they didn’t need to.
“I haven’t asked him because I know he’s elite at it. He knows he’s elite at it. And that’s what he’s going to embrace,” Brown said. “And so that gives us a luxury to be able to move Jalen [Brunson] and whoever else is on the floor around, because we know we can say, ‘OK, you know what? Tonight, Mikal’s gonna take this guy — he’s a shooter and a two-guard. Or tonight, he’s gonna take the head of the snake — the point guard — because of this and that.’
“It allows us to have different options. And when you know you’re great or elite at something, you embrace it — and you go do that every night you’re on the floor.”
While Bridges welcomes the challenge, his work at the point of attack wasn’t always seamless last season.
In January, he was navigating an NBA-high 25 screens per game — the most since the league began tracking the stat in 2012 — a grueling burden that wore down even one of the league’s most durable players. Shifty guards and hard screens often knocked Bridges off course, opening up driving lanes and breaking down New York’s defense at the point of resistance.
Still, the strategy was necessary: placing Bridges at the tip of the spear helped conserve Brunson’s energy for crunch-time offense — and masked a clear weak spot on the defensive end.
This season, the system will look different. Brown is installing a more aggressive defensive identity — one designed to generate turnovers and fuel a transition-heavy offense. After practice, Bridges detailed the shift in approach compared to Tom Thibodeau’s more conservative scheme.
“I think our coverages [are] just a little different, when it comes to shifting and stuff like that: concepts, making sure our verbiage is always different with different coaches and different systems,” he said. “I think more emphasis in being aggressive when you’re off the ball. Obviously the usual X’ing out, the help in rotation. I think every coach in the NBA has that. But just putting an emphasis on shifting and helping the guy on ball a little bit more.”
Bridges also expects the offensive uptick in pace to benefit his own game. His speed, motor and stride make him one of the fastest players on the floor — ideal for the open-court attack Brown is building.
“Yeah [the offense is a good fit] personally, yeah and then for our team as well. I think it’s a great fit for all of us,” he said. “Talent we have and one through 15 — I mean, s–t, we’ve got 20 guys in there today, thought in this camp so 1 through 20, it’s for everybody.
“Everybody be unselfish and making the right play and being aggressive. Not just personally me, I think it helps the team a lot.”
Brown plans to lean on his coaching staff — including two assistants familiar with Bridges from his time in Phoenix — as he defines the forward’s role on both ends of the floor.
The Knicks added Ricardo Fois to a staff that already included Mark Bryant, giving Brown two coaches from Monty Williams’ Suns staff before Bridges was traded to Brooklyn in the Kevin Durant deal.
“So these guys have an idea of how he played and what his strengths were in Phoenix. And then you watch him a little bit in Brooklyn, too, or [watch him] play against you in Brooklyn. And you watch him last year in the playoffs and you just try to put guys at their strengths, and you hope guys will embrace those areas that are their strengths because they’re already the best in the world,” said Brown. “And now, if you can put them in positions in terms of making sure the floor is spaced the right way with everybody else, the pace is there, the ball is moving, screens are set, whatever we’re trying to introduce, now it shines.”
Bridges averaged 17.6 points per game last season — his first in New York following the midseason trade — shooting 50% overall and 35.4% from downtown, his lowest three-point clip since his rookie year.
Brown believes the new system will help him shine on both ends of the floor.
“When you look at him — and we’re trying to play fast — you know he can be if not the best runner in the NBA, at least in the top three. I mean, he can get out and go. He’s got long strides. Everything’s real fluid. He’s long,” Brown said. “And now when he does do that, it puts a lot of pressure on our opponents because he’s getting to the corner, he can shoot the three and so he’s gonna flatten the defense, or he’s [cutting to the basket] and attacking and finishing at the rim before the defense can even think twice about it.
“We’re excited offensively, and then on the flip side defensively, he’s one of the best chasers that I’ve been around. So if you’ve got a guy that’s flying off of screens, he’s got a knack to navigate through screens and chase guys. And same with guys that play the pick-and-roll game. He’s long, so even if he gets cracked on a pick-and-roll a little bit, his will to want to pursue and especially contest from behind at that length is extremely, extremely impactful.
“So I think those are the areas that you should see him shine in this year.”
