For anyone who has ever been frustrated by Mikal Bridges’ tendency to bail out of drives to the basket in favor of fading jumpers and pull-up mid-rangers, you and the New York Knicks are about to be rewarded.
These are the exact shots that could come in handy against the San Antonio Spurs—and more specifically, their 7’4” Defensive Player of the Year, Victor Wembanyama.
Granted, the Knicks didn’t need these shots to chop down the Finals favorites in Game 1. Bridges attempted four mid-rangers, making only one. New York as a team was 3-of-16 from the in-between.
That victory was more about Karl-Anthony Towns acting as the ultimate foil, Jalen Brunson proving every single doubter wrong, and the Knicks generating a healthy number of rim attempts with Wemby on the floor through offensive rebounding and firm seals.
But this will not be the case every game. And on the nights in which it’s not, New York will need to lean on what many consider Bridges’ worst impulse.
The Knicks won’t always carve out enough looks at the basket
Carving out 19 shots at the rim during Wembanyama’s minutes in Game 1 is actually absurd. Case in point: During Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, the Oklahoma City Thunder attempted just nine total shots at the hoop.
A skeleton crew around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander explains some of the discrepancy, but OKC’s volume is more indicative of the normal. Opponents in the regular season averaged 13 shots at the rim per game during Wemby’s minutes.
As dynamic as the Knicks offense has become, the Spurs will figure out a way to keep the point-blank volume in check. They will assuredly travel greater lengths to get Wemby off Towns, and closer to the basket. That alone can be the difference, as we saw on plenty of possessions in Game 1.
New York is fortunate enough to have a mid-range maestro in Brunson for when that happens. Even though he gives up over a foot versus Wemby, his on-ball shiftiness and ability to get off jumpers while falling away leaves him uniquely equipped to score when the reigning DPOY is allowed to roam.
Brunson alone won’t always be enough, though. That’s where Bridges comes in.
Mikal Bridges can bust up the best version of San Antonio’s defense
To Bridges’ credit, he has done a much better job attacking the basket in recent weeks, both on the break and inside the half-court. But his lack of rim pressure against set defenses remains well established. He will dribble into pull-ups, or flash cut to the middle for a fallaway on the catch.
This can be a problem. When there’s a 7’4” alien erasing the paint writ large, it’s an asset.
Bridges is second on the Knicks in two-point attempts that come outside the paint for the postseason. He’s knocking them down at a 53.8 percent clip. It was the same story during the regular season. Only Brunson averaged more mid-range attempts per game, and Bridges’ still shot a rock-solid 46.8 percent on those scoring opportunities.
While this shouldn’t be his or the Knicks’ default, it’s a useful tool to have in the belt. Deuce McBride was the only other member of the team to average more than one mid-range attempt per game in the regular season, and he wasn’t particularly efficient.
Pulling up from the in-between isn’t OG Anunoby’s strong suit, and we saw as much in Game 1. Ever the bruiser going downhill, this isn’t Josh Hart’s strong suit, either. He’s shooting under 39 percent from mid-range, on low volume, across the regular season and playoffs.
After Brunson, there is only Bridges. And given that he’s at least four inches taller, with a seven-foot wingspan, his looks may be easier to get off than those from the captain.
So if and when the Knicks can’t get to the hoop, the habit that can at times make Bridges Pariah No. 1 in the Big Apple might actually become a stealthy offensive lifeline.
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