Mikal Bridges’ offensive struggles against the Atlanta Hawks have drawn the ire of fans, and even impacted his place inside the New York Knicks’ rotation despite continuing to be part of the starting five. While far from ideal, this isn’t surprising, and that lack of shock proves what the team and its fanbase have known, not-so-deep down, all along: The time has come to recalibrate how Bridges is evaluated, and what qualifies as an impactful performance.
In short, it’s time to treat him like a role player.
This development is long overdue. The “Mikal Bridges isn’t meeting expectations” frustrations boiled over shortly after he put on a Knicks uniform. It quiets for stretches, but always resurfaces to varying extremes.
New York’s current playoff run typifies this cycle. For sanity’s sake, though, the Knicks’ statement-making Game 5 annihilation should mark the end of it.
Mikal Bridges still brings value to the Knicks
Bridges’ Tuesday night line isn’t going to wow, well, anyone. He went 3-of-6 from the floor, including just 1-of-3 from downtown, scoring only seven points in about 27.5 minutes of action.
And yet, he did plenty of other things to help drive the victory. His defensive engagement and disruption was on point, like it has been for most of this series. The work he has done against Nickeil Alexander-Walker, the reigning Most Improved Player, has bordered on terrific.
The Hawks are scoring under 0.90 points per possession as a team when Bridges guards NAW. While tracking data is imperfect, NAW is personally shooting 3-of-11 from the floor and has more turnovers than assists when being guarded by Bridges.
Getting more offensive volume out of Bridges should be the goal. But he remains critical to lifting defenders out of the paint to maximize two-man actions at the top of the floor, driving lanes, dual-big lineups, etc.
The Knicks must separate Bridges’ impact from what they gave up to get him
There is a chance Bridges’ offensive volume ticks up in the next round. His mid-range touch is uniquely valuable against teams that default to drop coverage, something both the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers employ.
Still, at this point, everyone knows any ascent is just a precursor to another fall. Bridges is not a cornerstone who puts up gaga numbers. The Knicks may have valued him like one when they forked over a kabillion first-rounders to get him, but that was a miscalculation on their end.
Neither New York nor its fans should hold out hope that Bridges lives up to the opportunity cost of getting him. It’s not happening. His latest performance is the baseline off which he should be judged—not on scoring or overall usage, but on defensive effort and effectiveness, and the ability to fill in smaller gaps on the offensive end.
Signing him to a $150 million extension changes none of this. He will probably never be one of the 50 highest paid players on that deal.
Just as the Orlando Magic don’t judge Jalen Suggs on his offensive output, the Knicks have to get beyond evaluating Bridges relative to the now-infamous trade. He is a role player, a connective piece. If he fails to meet that bar, criticism can and should follow. But that must be the bar. Anything higher sets him up for failure, and the Knicks up for disappointment.
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