One of the themes of the Knicks' first two preseason games has been getting out in transition and making quicker reads. Mike Brown has a reputation for playing at a blistering pace, and if he can get the Knicks to play faster this season, Mikal Bridges may benefit more than anyone.
Brian Windhorst explained how much Bridges will benefit from the Knicks' up-tempo offense if they stick with it this season. Speaking on The Hoop Collective podcast, Windhorst said, "Bridges is dedicating himself to get out ahead of the play...He probably had four or five runouts...where he either got an easy basket or got a foul."
Getting good looks in transition
Bridges capitalized on transition plays often last season. In fact, he took 237 transition field goals last season, which was the third-most in the league. Bridges' 311 points scored in transition were the fourth-most in the league, according to league tracking data.
Brown has made it clear that he wants his players to sprint to the corners, another area of the floor where Bridges thrived last season. While his above-the-break three never hit its groove, he was a marksman from the corners all season long, generating 1.23 points per shot on the second-most threes attempted from the corners.
If he continues to show a willingness to run the floor, he should create plenty of opportunities for himself, specifically with both Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson, assuming Brown decides to go with the double big lineup, snagging plenty of defensive rebounds and looking for leak outs.
Benefitting in other areas too
Bridges shouldn't just have to rely on transition plays and fast break opportunities to get the ball, and he won't. Brown has pledged to get Jalen Brunson off the ball more often this season, which means the supporting cast will need to shoulder a bigger on-ball load.
Brown has also noted how he wants to utilize Towns as more of a playmaker on offense, which will mean more opportunities for two-man actions with Towns and Bridges. That could mean anything from simple get actions to Bridges being the ball-handler on more pick-and-rolls.
Last season, Bridges clearly didn't always see eye to eye with Tom Thibodeau. A fresh start and an offensive system geared more to how he wants to play could be exactly what he needs to get back on track and have a monster season for the Knicks.