NEW YORK — If Christmas was the first time you watched Mikal Bridges in a New York Knicks uniform, everything you may have heard in passing up to this point might not make sense.
Making 6-of-9 from 3 doesn’t align with the narrative that Bridges has turned into a poor shooter with a funky hitch in his shot. Playing 43 minutes and helping New York get critical stops in a back-and-forth game against the San Antonio Spurs doesn’t jive with the idea that he’s not good enough to be the head of a defense climbing up the rankings. Doing that while dropping 41 points is, in fact, in line with the cost — five first-round draft picks and one first-round pick swap — it took to get him away from the Brooklyn Nets and aid in putting together what the Knicks feel is a championship contender.
Every narrative surrounding Bridges stuck with him longer than it should have, as narratives tend to do. However, what Bridges did in Wednesday’s 117-114 win over the Spurs was a very loud version of what he’s been doing for the last month and change. This was just under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden on Christmas Day, with millions watching at home.
If there was ever a time to shake a narrative for casual fans, the “unofficial” start to the NBA regular season was it.
“It was special,” teammate Karl-Anthony Towns said. “He was special. He picked a hell of a day to do it.”
Given the attention, this could be seen as Bridges’ breakout game, and in a way, it was. He was going bucket for bucket with the game’s main attraction, Spurs center Victor Wembanyama — the only reason the .500 Spurs received such a prominent slot on Christmas. Yet, despite what you might have heard, Bridges has been really good for much of the Knicks’ season to date.
Over the last 15 games, Bridges is averaging just under 20 points per night while shooting better than 51 percent from the field and 41 percent from 3. He’s among the league’s most efficient midrange and corner 3-point shooters. He’s one of best non-big defenders at disrupting shots at the rim.
Bridges did all of that and more — getting to the rim in transition and as a cutter — in New York’s victory over San Antonio, just at an even higher level.
It feels like lately Bridges is constantly asked about how he turned his play around. Those questions would have been more fitting more than a month ago but it’s been so long since those narratives actually fit Bridges’ season. It feels like few are really watching what he’s been doing.
“People have to realize that not one player in this league plays a great game for all 82 games,” Knicks wing Josh Hart said. “There are peaks and valleys in this league. There are going to be high points and low points, which is why you always try to stay even-keeled. He’s a guy who did that. He puts the work in, and when you see a guy put the work in, you know what he’s capable of, the character has. We knew it would just be matter time.
“He’s found it, and now y’all aren’t saying nothing. Get your damn apology forms out. I’ll be collecting them next game. Let the flowers be as loud as the hate.”
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Transferring from one borough over, where Bridges was the No. 1 option for Brooklyn since arriving in the middle of the 2022-23 season, forced some adjustments. Bridges had to re-learn how to play for a roster that didn’t need him to be a primary scorer and, instead, fit in around stars like Jalen Brunson and Towns.
The quality that attracted teams to Bridges in the first place was that he was, arguably, one of the league’s best role players during his time with the Phoenix Suns. He made open shots, defended at a high level and made things happen without the ball in his hands. It took time, but Bridges has found a way to blend the two previous stages of his career together in New York.
“I continue to work every day to get comfortable with the team and the system,” Bridges said. “Teammates have been finding me. I just want to keep getting better.”
Bridges will always be compared to the draft picks the Knicks gave up to get him, and rightfully so. Only so many players in the NBA are worth that type of capital. But that’s not his fault, and if the Knicks end up as title contenders from this year on, who cares? The goal is to win a championship, no matter how you do it.
Bridges is doing what he was brought here to do, which is what he can control. And New York has been better because of it.
(Top photo: Wendell Cruz / Imagn)
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