Mikal Bridges may have noticed the criticism that went his way following the New York Knicks' exit from the Eastern Conference Finals.

Bridges served as a consistent two-way player throughout the course of the 2024-25 season. He had strong plays as a perimeter shooter and defender as he benefitted the Knicks on both sides of the ball.

His efforts allowed New York to make a deep playoff run to the East Finals, the franchise's first appearance since 2000. However, their remarkable run came to an end as they lost to the Indiana Pacers in six games.

Bridges received criticism for his struggles throughout the series, being unable to provide scoring on an active basis. A week after the team's season came to an end, he made a social media post on Instagram that showed his thoughts with his season officially over.

“Some will hate you, some will love you .. Once you figure out what you can control, honestly i aint have a caption and im just chattin about a whole lot of nothing,” Bridges said.

 

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A post shared by Mikal Bridges (@mikalbridges)

What lies ahead for Mikal Bridges, Knicks

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It's notable that Mikal Bridges called out the noise from his critics, as he completed his first season with the Knicks.

Bridges played the entire season, averaging 17.6 points, 3.7 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game. He shot 50% from the field, including 35.4% from beyond the arc, and 81.4% from the free-throw line. In the playoffs, he produced 15.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.7 steals per contest.

There is no doubt that Bridges helped the Knicks have their best season in decades. However, it is clear that New York won't settle for the East Finals as they are aware that their talent is capable of playing in the NBA Finals. In other words, they will retool to find more players to boost their depth and elevate their ceiling to be in the conversation.

The Knicks will enter the offseason on the search for a new head coach. They fired Tom Thibodeau after five seasons, meaning a new era of New York basketball is on the way.