During his first season with the New York Knicks, Mikal Bridges played an almost unfathomable 37.0 minutes per contest while appearing in all 82 games. During his second season in New York, Bridges was on the receiving end of constant criticism for how many draft picks the orange and blue gave up to acquire him—and what that meant for the moves they couldn't make in the future.
With head coach Mike Brown providing a more reasonable number of minutes and a championship silencing the talk about draft picks, however, Bridges can finally receive the praise he deserves as one of the best two-way wings in the NBA.
Brown's first season at the helm included several pivotal changes, but the minute distribution was perhaps his most significant adjustment. Bridges was one of the primary beneficiaries of the shift, as he went from 37.0 to 32.8 minutes per game.
Unfortunately, just when it seemed as though Bridges would be able to settle into his role with the Knicks, conversations about the trade that brought him to Madison Square Garden were renewed.
When the Knicks fell behind the Atlanta Hawks 2-1 in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs, Stephen A. Smith of ESPN led the charge of critics who blamed the Bridges trade. Smith lamented the fact that New York could've used the picks they gave up for Bridges in order to trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Knicks proceeded to win 15 of their next 16 games en route to their first championship in 53 years. Bridges played a pivotal role in that success—and should now finally receive the credit he deserves.
Minutes? Reasonable. Draft picks? Who cares?
Bridges' offensive game is effectively an amalgamation of skills that every team covets. He can work without the ball as a catch-and-shoot player who buried 37.5 percent of his attempts in 2025-26. He can also put the ball on the floor, having shot 49.7 percent on drives.
Bridges is also a skilled playmaker who averaged 4.1 assists per 36 minutes in 2025-26 and a force from midrange who buried 46.8 percent of his attempts this past season.
Defensively, there aren't many players who even approach Bridges' baseline level of play. This past season, he ranked in the 95th percentile in matchup difficulty as a defender, yet also finished in the 90th percentile in perimeter isolation defense and the 98th percentile in off-ball chaser defense, per Basketball Index.
Whether he's guarding quicker guards to take pressure off of Jalen Brunson or taller wings to allow OG Anunoby to play the passing lanes, Bridges does everything New York asks him to.
Mikal Bridges is a top-tier two-way wing
Look no further than the 2026 NBA Playoffs. Bridges spent the first round on smaller guards such as Nickeil Alexander-Walker and CJ McCollum. In the second, he was challenged to slow down All-NBA guard Tyrese Maxey.
Sharpened by iron, Bridges then held James Harden to 3-of-17 shooting from the field during the Conference Finals, and forced Stephon Castle, De'Aaron Fox, and Dylan Harper to shoot a combined 10-of-36 from the floor during the NBA Finals.
As if that weren't enough, Bridges finished the 2025-26 season ranked in the 87th percentile in off-ball movement and the 91st percentile in off-ball gravity. In other words: Even when he doesn't have the ball in his hands, he forces opposing defenses to adapt to his presence and thus opens the court up for his teammates.
Thankfully, after his first two seasons with the Knicks were filled with distractions, Bridges should finally receive the respect he deserves as one of the best two-way wings in the NBA.
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