After a 3-of-15 shooting night and a dismal 1-of-7 performance from beyond the arc in Utah, it’s clear the Mikal Bridges era at Madison Square Garden hasn’t begun as planned.
The Knicks traded five first-round picks to the Nets to acquire Bridges, uniting him with his former Villanova Wildcat teammates, Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart.
The vision? For 2016 NCAA champions to raise another banner at MSG, where they won the Big East Tournament as teammates in 2017, a potent Eastern Conference contender bolstered by a subsequent blockbuster deal for Karl-Anthony Towns.
The reality, however, has been a team that looks every bit a title hopeful, but largely thanks to Towns’ floor-spacing gravity, while Bridges struggles to find his footing.
New York has bet its future — surrendering unprotected first-rounders in 2025, 2027, 2029, and 2031, plus Milwaukee’s pick in 2025 and swap rights in 2028 — on Bridges reaching his full potential on both ends of the floor.
So far, the returns have been uneven.
INCONSISTENCY FROM DOWNTOWN
Who could have predicted that Hart — fresh off a career-worst 32.9% three-point shooting season — would be outshooting Bridges, a career 37.5% marksman, from downtown?
Hart’s bounce-back, shooting 36.2% from three this season, is a welcome surprise. If he maintains this pace or improves slightly, it would mark his best performance from deep since his rookie season with the Lakers. Bridges, however, has regressed. His 30.4% clip entering Monday’s matchup in Denver is on pace for a career low.
The numbers tell the story. Bridges has hit one or no threes in six games this season, converting on 36.7% of his wide-open attempts (defined as shots taken with no defender within six feet). These uncontested looks make up only 13.2% of his shot profile, but the semi-contested “open” threes (four-to-six feet) that account for 21.9% of his attempts are the issue. Bridges has made just 28% of those — 0.9 on 3.1 attempts per game — shots NBA defenses are increasingly forcing opponents to take in today’s three-point-heavy league.
Bridges’ above-the-break shooting woes have been glaring. While he’s respectable in the corners (44.9% combined), his 18.4% conversion rate on above-the-break threes is alarming. These shots are among the most frequent in his profile, yet his struggles have diminished his overall impact, leaving him averaging just 15.8 points per game — less than his final Phoenix season and far from the efficiency he’s known for.
DEFENSIVE WOES GUARDING POINT OF ATTACK
Bridges was supposed to be the answer to the Knicks’ perimeter defensive needs, tasked with guarding opposing lead guards and setting the tone at the point of attack.
At 6-6 with a 7-1 wingspan, elite athleticism, and a reputation forged over the years as a 3-and-D wing, the assignment seemed tailor-made for him.
But reality has been less forgiving. In a guard-heavy league, lateral quickness has emerged as a weakness, with quicker guards exploiting Bridges off the dribble to create chaos in the paint. The resulting breakdowns have forced the Knicks into defensive rotations, often leading to open threes or easy finishes at the rim.
Head coach Tom Thibodeau says it’s unfair to pin these issues on Bridges, though he notes — not just with Bridges — that all five players on the floor need to be better on that end of the floor.
Guards like Jayson Tatum, Tyrese Haliburton, and Darius Garland have torched the Knicks this season, exposing cracks in the team’s ability to contain the league’s most dynamic scorers, with much of the blame on the outside falling on Bridges, tasked with guarding the point of attack.
It must be noted, however, that the Knicks are is anxiously awaiting the return of defensive anchors Mitchell Robinson and Precious Achiuwa to stabilize a defense surviving with Towns as the primary rim protector.
DURABILITY
If there’s one area where Bridges has delivered, it’s availability.
He has suited up for every game to start the season, living up to his reputation as one of the NBA’s most durable players.
For a Knicks team that endured a plague of injuries last season — losing Julius Randle, OG Anunoby, and Robinson for extended stretches — Bridges’ reliability is a breath of fresh air.
But the Knicks didn’t trade five first-round picks for a mere ironman. They need Bridges to become the player they envisioned when they bet their future on him: a two-way force capable of elevating their championship aspirations. So far, his durability has been a bright spot, but his on-court production has fallen short of expectations.
The early struggles don’t erase the potential that made Bridges such a coveted asset.
His shooting can recover, and his defensive adjustments could come with time. But for the Knicks to justify the steep price they paid, Bridges must become more than a complementary piece. He must become a cornerstone.
The Knicks have placed their trust — and their draft capital — in Bridges. It’s now on him to reward their faith, proving that the early turbulence is just a bump in the road toward something greater.
