During the spring of 2022, Mikal Bridges finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting for the top-seeded Phoenix Suns. Fresh off of a Finals run, Bridges established himself as one of the NBA’s best 3-and-D players.
Circumstances change rapidly in the NBA, more quickly than we tend to admit. Two and a half years later, Bridges finds himself in New York as the centerpiece of a massive offseason trade. Giving up five first-round picks for Bridges set the tone for an aggressive offseason. Despite the steep price, Bridges’ malleable traits ideally made for a perfect fit with the New York Knicks’ new core.
For a player who once sat upon the two-way wing mantle, Bridges hasn’t returned to his Phoenix heights. This season, he’s connected on just 30.6 percent of his 3-pointers with a 52.7 percent true shooting, both career-low marks. His Defensive Estimated Plus-Minus (minus-0.8) and steal rate (1.3 percent) are also the lowest of his career.
The Knicks haven’t escaped the NBA’s basement on defense and currently rank 24th in defensive rating (117.6 points per 100 possessions), per Cleaning the Glass. Bridges isn’t entirely at fault here, as New York’s other offensive focal points, Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, are both harmful defenders. But Bridges, a former stalwart, hasn’t contributed much.
How Bridges Is Struggling Defensively
During his Brooklyn Nets stint, Bridges’ defense suffered due to the perceived weight of his increased offensive usage. The Knicks hoped Bridges’ defensive impact would rebound back to that of his Phoenix days with a lessened offensive load. That hasn’t been the case. His on and off-ball defense haven’t been the same.
We can (and will) discuss details of his defensive decline, but his effort and energy levels simply haven’t been strong. It’s especially noticeable when he defends in space. Merely by moving and cutting briskly, offensive players gain advantages. A lack of focus has led to teams picking on him in space, and he isn’t moving spryly enough to recover.
the effort levels from mikal bridges has been quite disappointing this season. his defense lacks the level of urgency, focus and attention it has too. hopefully that can get better as the season progresses pic.twitter.com/Oe8mCvEaZa
— ben pfeifer (@bjpf_) November 29, 2024
Teams are hunting the combination of Bridges and Towns in pick-and-rolls. When those two share the floor, the Knicks’ already poor defensive rating sinks even further to 121.5, per PBP Stats. When offenses burn Bridges at the point of attack or moving off the ball, Towns lacks the athletic juice, physicality and discipline to recover.
When offenses spam pick-and-rolls at the Knicks, good results tend to ensue. Bridges and Towns are often the target of these attacks. Beyond Bridges’ issues staying focused, he doesn’t appear as balanced as he has in the past, letting picks knock him off of his path. When that happens, Towns isn’t equipped to defend from a numbers disadvantage.
opposing offenses have had little trouble attacking mikal bridges and karl anthony towns in on and off ball screening actions.
very little resistance from bridges over the screen and from KAT in disadvantage. pic.twitter.com/1Li8wwakZ5
— ben pfeifer (@bjpf_) November 29, 2024
Regardless of which defenders offenses involve, the Knicks haven’t been able to defend pick-and-rolls at all this season. According to Synergy, opposing offenses spend 19.7 percent of their possessions against New York attacking with pick-and-roll ball-handlers. That’s the highest frequency of any team in the NBA. New York allows 0.928 points per possession on those plays, the seventh-lowest mark of any team.
New York’s defensive supporting cast undoubtedly makes Bridges’ life harder. Asking him to function as one of their primary wing defenders and helpers doesn’t work when the Knicks can barely cover for his mistakes.
What’s Gone Wrong Offensively?
Adding onto his disappointing defense, Bridges’ inability to space the floor hasn’t helped either. He’s never been this ineffective as a shooter and off-ball player, often struggling to command attention from off-ball defenders.
His midrange creation deserves credit, though. Per Dunks and Threes, he’s converted a sizzling 54.9 percent of his midrange jumpers, which ranks in the 96th percentile. When New York’s offense stalls, Bridges’ intermediate creation functions as a viable bailout option.
NBA players evolve, even deep into their careers. It may be time to let go of the idea of Bridges as a low-usage, 3-and-D wing. But is the new version of Bridges, a high-volume intermediate creator with shaky outside shooting and defense, a viable solution for this Knicks team, especially given the steep price they paid for him?
Mitchell Robinson’s eventual return should buoy the defense and hopefully make Bridges’ life easier on that end. But for him to reach the heights New York hopes and needs of him, he’ll need to rediscover some of his old form. Whether he can accomplish that might swing the Knicks’ season as much as any other factor.
