Chris Jent once upon a time helped LeBron James rework his jump shot. The same goes for John Collins. He could now potentially do the same for Mikal Bridges—and unlock the best possible version of the 28-year-old in the process.
Jent is officially leaving the Charlotte Hornets staff and joining the New York Knicks as their associate head coach. He previously worked with Mike Brown for nearly a half-decade with the Cleveland Cavaliers, during which time he became known as LeBron’s shot tutor.
Anyone who watched the Knicks last year will remember that Bridges began the season with a completely reworked, awkward-looking jump shot. The results, at first, were not great. Everything looked better by season’s end—both the form, and the percentages. Bridges drilled a career-high 51 percent of his mid-range jumpers.
Still, his 31 percent clip on above-the-break threes was the lowest of his career. He did knock down 34.7 percent of those triples after the All-Star break, but that was still beneath the league average of 35.6 percent. The share of his shots coming as above-the-break treys was also much lower than his final season with the Brooklyn Nets.
This is all to say: Bridges has the runway for improvement. And Jent, who’s expected to be the Knicks’ de facto coordinator, has a track record that suggests he can help him.
Chris Jent helped both LeBron James and John Collins
LeBron and Jent started collaborating after the four-time champion’s third season in Cleveland. Though the former didn’t turn into a long-range flame-thrower overnight, his efficiency from the floor noticeably increased.
Through his first three years, LeBron posted a true shooting percentage—a combined measure of two-point, three-point, and free-throw efficiency—of around 54. Over the next four seasons, while working with Jent, he nudged up his true shooting percentage to right around 58. That’s a pretty big difference, especially when you consider LeBron attempted more threes during this span while getting to the rim slightly less.
Meanwhile, Jent is credited for working with John Collins on his outside shot during their time together with the Atlanta Hawks. The big man consistently enjoyed year-over-year bumps in three-point volume and efficiency over this stretch. Collins shot over 40 percent from the corners, drilled over 36.3 percent of his above-the-break treys, posted a true shooting percentage north of 63, and noticeably outperformed his shot quality.
Mikal Bridges could reach the next level by working with Jent
Bridges has turned in a couple of seasons with an enviable clip from distance, but he’s never qualified as a caps-lock SHOOTER. His three-point volume hasn’t rated higher than the 50th percentile since he was a rookie, and he’s finished in the 65th percentile or higher of efficiency just twice.
Launching triples isn’t everything. But it matters when you play off the ball, and when your rim pressure is on the decline. Unbottling more treys also needs to be a priority for the Knicks. They were 25th in three-point-attempt rate last year, which flies in the face of their five-out spacing desires.
Bridges becoming a more consistent and efficient higher-volume weapon from beyond the arc is among the changes that could render New York’s offense unstoppable. And with an esteemed shot doctor like Jent now on the Knicks’ staff, this mid-career progression suddenly feels more possible than ever.