With new head coach Mike Brown, Mikal Bridges may prove to benefit the most of anybody on the New York Knicks.
While Bridges benefited greatly this offseason when he signed a four-year, $150 million contract extension, his role within his team's offense could expand under the leadership of Brown, who succeeded Tom Thibodeau following the Knicks' trip to the Eastern Conference Finals.
“They are determined to play more up-tempo as a team this year,” ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst said on the ‘Hoop Collective' podcast. “I would say my biggest takeaway from the Knicks is that Mikal Bridges is going to benefit, at least if they stick to this up-tempo offense, because Bridges is dedicating himself to get out ahead of the play.
“And in two halves, basically, he played, he probably had four or five run-outs where he got thrown ahead, where he either got an easy basket or got a foul. And you could understand, Bridges, his role is to work really hard on the defensive end and then space the floor offensively.”
When Bridges was a part of the Phoenix Suns for the first five seasons of his career, he mostly served as a tertiary offensive option while sometimes rising to be the secondary option behind Devin Booker. But when he was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Kevin Durant, he proved he was more than capable of bearing the offensive load.
In the 27 games following the trade to finish the 2022-23 season, Bridges averaged 26 points per game while shooting 48% from the field, 38% on 3-pointers, and 89% at the free-throw line. His numbers dropped the following season, his only full year in Brooklyn, although he still scored 20 points per game and shot 37% from the 3-point line.
With the Knicks, Bridges again saw his numbers drop, albeit not by much, as he became the third option behind Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, which limited the number and quality of touches he had.
If Bridges can become a greater or more efficient part of the Knicks' offense, it could go a long way as New York tries to take advantage of major injuries to Eastern Conference contenders such as the Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics.
