New York Knicks: 2018 NBA Draft targets who stepped up on Mar. 17

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PITTSBURGH, PA – MARCH 17: Head coach Avery Johnson of the Alabama Crimson Tide shouts as Mikal Bridges #25 of the Villanova Wildcats dribbles against Herbert Jones #10 during the first half in the second round of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 17, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

If you follow Daily Knicks, you’ve likely read or heard me writing or speaking ad nauseam about how the New York Knicks should select Mikal Bridges in the 2018 NBA Draft. He’s the best 3-and-D wing in his class and has the ceiling of an All-NBA wing.

Whether or not Bridges realizes his full potential, it’s performances like what he put forth in the Round of 32 that illustrate his undeniable upside.

Bridges helped the Wildcats pull away with an 81-58 victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Round of 32. He finished the win over Collin Sexton and Co. with 23 points, three rebounds, and two blocks in just 26 minutes of action.

He scored 19 points in the first five minutes and 30 seconds of the second half alone, effectively single-handedly putting the Crimson Tide away as Villanova built a 22-point lead.

For perspective: Villanova scored 21 points during that run, meaning Bridges accounted for 90.5 percent of his team’s scoring during the run that decided the game. The ability to take over a game as a shooter and overall scorer is exactly what scouts have been waiting to see.

Under the brightest lights of the biggest game of 2017-18 season thus far, Bridges proved that he has the competitive spirit and raw talent to handle that superstar workload.

This young man should be a Knick come June.

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