The New York Knicks have a problem on their hands.
It's easy to look at a 16-point win and declare that all is fine, but the Knicks are tied 2-2 with an Atlanta Hawks team that has been much stronger than they expected. From CJ McCollum turning back the clock to a host of wing defenders slowing down Jalen Brunson, the Hawks have made the Knicks work for every basket.
Even in the wake of their strong victory in Game 4, a win that snatched back homecourt advantage and put the series back on the right track, one problem looms above the others: Mikal Bridges.
Mikal Bridges is not playing well
In the Knicks' Game 3 loss, Bridges went scoreless in 21 minutes, shooting 0-for-3 from the field and tallying four turnovers to just two assists. It was one of the worst performances of his entire career, and head coach Mike Brown benched him down the stretch in favor of Miles McBride.
Things were not solved in Game 4 despite the easy victory. The Knicks kept the same starting lineup despite chatter that Bridges would get benched, but that group had its best success without Bridges. Karl-Anthony Towns had a triple-double and was +16 on the night. OG Anunoby had 22 points and was +19. Josh Hart was +16. Jalen Brunson was +11.
Bridges, however, played in only 19 minutes and was +0 on the night. In the 29 minutes he was on the bench, the Knicks outscored the Hawks by 16 points. When he was in the game, they were dead even. It's hard to get excited about a comfortable victory when you aren't the reason your team won.
As Bridges continues to struggle, the ripple effects will only grow stronger. The Hawks are getting increasingly confident leaving him open to shade defenders toward Towns and Brunson; the Knicks' All-NBA point guard in particular was not at his best on Saturday, shooting just 7-for-18 from the field.
The problems will only increase
The ripples will continue to reverberate through the Knicks as well. At some point, if Bridges' defense isn't locked in and his offense is nonexistent, Mike Brown will not hesitate to reduce his role even further -- including pulling him from the starting lineup. The urgency to make that move was muted by the Knicks' win, but if they stumble again in Game 5, Brown may be ready to make the hard decision.
The problems with benching Bridges are numerous themselves, of course. The Knicks are not swimming in capable wings to replace him; their bench is filled with small guards, not exactly the ingredients to matching up with the Hawks' collection of long wings.
Moving forward, the problems only get worse. Bridges will start a new four-year, $150 million contract extension next season. New York gave up five first-round picks to trade for him, then committed high-end starter money. If he isn't that, and instead is a fringe starter who has to be benched for the Knicks to win playoff series, they will be in all sorts of trouble trying to maintain a contending team with his contract weighing them down.
The Knicks need Bridges to have a big game and reassert himself in Game 5. If he doesn't, and Mike Brown pushes him further down the bench, then the problems will blossom -- both now and in the future.
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