At his best, Mikal Bridges is a key cog in the New York Knicks‘ championship machine. He is not playing anywhere near his best right now.
Ahead of the Knicks’ matchup with the Indiana Pacers on Friday night, Bridges told reporters after shoot around: “I have to look in the mirror and be better.”
It’s been a slump of all slumps for the man who cost New York five first-round draft picks back in the summer of 2024. Bridges is averaging career lows across the board: 5.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists on a 33/26/100 shooting split.
Head coach Mike Brown hasn’t hesitated to pull the Knicks’ starter down the stretch. Bridges is seventh on the team in fourth-quarter minutes this season.
But his head coach hasn’t given up on him. Brown told reporters after New York’s loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday that he’s not panicking:
“Mikal is a starter, so it’s not a question of that,” Brown said on November 11. “He’s, like a lot of players, they’ve had their good moments and their not so good moments. Mikal has a proven track record as playing at a pretty high level as a starter in this league. So, for me to make a quote-unquote panic decision and change it right now, we’re ten games in, or whatever we are, I’m not feeling it.”
Bridges’ leash may be getting shorter, but his opportunities will remain ever-voluminous as long as he remains in the starting five. Hopefully this is the start of his latest and greatest rebound.
Tip-off between the Knicks and the Pacers is scheduled for 7:00 pm EST.
