While All-Stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns garner most of the headlines when it comes to the New York Knicks (and rightfully so, given their performance this year), another player on the roster could truly make or break their season.
Mikal Bridges was named a wild-card player in the Eastern Conference in a recent article from ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill. The premise of the story is examining players who “fill in the gaps” around the superstars on their teams.
Bridges certainly came to New York with a lot of hype, after the Knicks traded five first-round picks and a first-round pick swap to acquire him from the Brooklyn Nets in June 2024. But he’s always been a player known for doing the dirty work on the court — making the right basketball play, deferring to the elite scorers on his teams, and taking on the responsibility of guarding the toughest defensive assignments.
In a wide-open race in the Eastern Conference, the less-heralded Bridges could ultimately push New York to an NBA Finals appearance. Or he could bring it back a massive return if included in another trade.
Hence, the “wild card” moniker.
Mikal Bridges Has Starred For New York Knicks
Bridges is a huge reason why the Knicks (17-7) are second in the Eastern Conference this season, just two games behind the Detroit Pistons (19-5). The eighth-year pro and one of the “Nova Knicks” is averaging 16.4 points and a career-high 4.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists this season.
Bridges has been lethal from beyond the arc shooting 41%, his best since 2020-21. That’s well above the 35.4% he shot from three last season. His ability to space the floor has opened up the lane even more so for Brunson and Towns.
“He can give you 20-25 points if you’re not careful,” an assistant GM told Goodwill. “Do I wish he were a little stronger? Yes. But I don’t expect him to be some bull like Julius Randle,”
What really makes Bridges valuable, however, is his elite defensive ability. He finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2021-22 and has brought the same kind of “stopper” mentality to the Knicks this season, averaging a career-high two steals and 1.1 blocks per game. When OG Anunoby was injured for almost three weeks, New York needed Bridges to guard opponents’ best perimeter players, and he delivered.
“An excellent complementary player,” a general manager told Goodwill. “Are you gonna ask him to step into a consistent role, as a dominant scorer? That’s not who he is. But he defends at a high level.”
Mikal Bridges Could Be A Huge Trade Piece
The Knicks are rumored to be pursuing Giannis Antetokounmpo, after trade talks reportedly occurred this summer and have been floated again in the last week. Bridges could be a player the team offers the Milwaukee Bucks to try to bring the Greek Freak to New York.
With the Knicks’ lack of draft capital (after, of course, sending most of it to the Nets for Bridges), the team is going to have to build a package for the around NBA players. A lock-down wing defender who can shoot threes at an efficient clip would make sense for the Bucks as part of a deal.
There’s still a long way to go in the Antetokounmpo sweepstakes (and the NBA season, for that matter), but the Knicks appear to have a pivotal player on their roster. Whatever happens with Mikal Bridges, it will shape the NBA title race.
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