If it isn't broken, don't fix it. Right? Someone needs to tell Mikal Bridges that. The New York Knicks wing changed his shot form over the offseason. Fans started to panic when he shot 2-for-19 from three in the preseason, but some convinced themselves that it was still early.
It's only game one of 82, but Bridges' shot looks even worse than it did in the preseason. He shot 0-for-5 (0-for-4 from three) in the first half of New York's season opener against Boston. His shooting woes looked even worse compared to the Celtics hot start from three. Boston shot 17-of-32 from deep in the first half (one three away from the NBA record).
Knicks and Celtics fans don't agree on much (more like anything), but both fan bases agree that Bridges' new shot looks terrible. Even other NBA fans chimed in on X (Twitter) to question why Bridges changed his jumper.
Nobody:
— FlightMike (Mikerophone) (@TheFlightMike) October 22, 2024
Mikal Bridges: "I shot 38% from 3 my entire career. Let me change my jump shot" pic.twitter.com/keIz1OMOcl
Whatever Tatum did to fix his 3 this offseason Mikal Bridges did the opposite.
— Coach Gibson Pyper (@HalfCourtHoops) October 22, 2024
Mikal Bridges shoot like he got new arms
— Mike (@Mikebeenhere) October 23, 2024
The very early results of the Knicks' trade for Mikal Bridges aren't encouraging
In June, New York sent a slew of first-round picks to Brooklyn for Bridges. The Villanova Knicks were the talk of the town. Bridges is in an environment where he can thrive as a role player (at least, that's what fans thought) rather than be the No. 1 option like he was with the Nets.
He averaged 19.6 points per game last season, shooting 37.2% from three on an average of 7.2 attempts per game. He's a career 37.5% shooting from deep. It's not like he was a poor shooter and needed to change his form.
It's normal for players to get into shooting slumps, especially during a long season. It's not unusual for players to take some time to get into a groove to start the season, but Bridges' shot looks broken. It looks worse than broken. He doesn't seem confident at all.
What's the good news? There's still a lot of basketball left to be played. Should Knicks fans be concerned? Sure. Is it too early to say that New York's offseason trade for Bridges was the wrong decision? Yes. Does something need to change with Bridges? Also yes.
It stings that Bridges and the Knicks (except Miles McBride and Jalen Brunson) are playing poorly against their most hated rival, but try not to overreact too much.