Mikal Bridges' first season as a Knick came with its fair share of ups and downs. Considering the package that the Knicks gave up for him, it is fair to assume they expected more than they got. If the Knicks want to maximize the talents he brings to the table, it means starting Deuce McBride next to him.
I recently wrote how starting Mitchell Robinson alongside Karl-Anthony Towns is the key to addressing his shortcomings as the one guarding the screener in pick-and-rolls. While that certainly would help, it still leaves Bridges as the point of attack defender.
Bridges was miscast in many ways during his first season in New York. He is not an elite point of attack defender; he lacks physicality, and is one of the poorer screen navigators on the team, if not in the entire league. That said, he is still a valuable off-ball defender, a position the Knicks should put him in as much as possible this coming season.
McBride is much better at that role
McBride is every bit as good at navigating screens as Bridges is bad. He is the Knicks' best point of attack defender against smaller and quicker guards, and would free up Bridges to be in his preferred off-ball role.
As an example, last season, per league tracking data, Bridges defended the ball handler on 2,272 picks, allowing 1.03 points per direct. Meanwhile, McBride allowed just 0.91 points per direct while defending the ball handler on 894 picks.
The move would also help them offensively
Aside from putting Bridges back in his preferred defensive role, inserting Bridges into the starting lineup would also have a major impact on the team's offensive spacing.
Assuming that he would be replacing Josh Hart, the move adds another good catch-and-shoot threat to the floor that the defense will have to respect. Unlike with Hart, defenders won't be able to sag off of McBride and clog the paint or double the Knicks' big men in the paint.
It should also allow Towns and Jalen Brunson the space they need to get the most out of their two-man game, something which was dominant at the start of the season but started to taper off as the year went on. They are the Knicks' two best players, and maximising their space to succeed at the highest level seems like the most logical decision Mike Brown and the coaching staff could make in their first year.