It has not been an ideal start to the season for the New York Knicks. They are now 0-3 in the new season, though they have lost to three of the better teams in the East. But perhaps the bigger story has been Mikal Bridges’ play. He hasn’t been able to make a shot all season, and it’s putting him in some uncomfortable second-apron conversations.
The Knicks are inevitably going to have to make some tough financial choices. James Dolan has said that the Knicks will never be a second-apron team, and if that’s going to be the case, then they will have to get rid of one of their core pieces. Obviously, there is a lot of time left in the season, but early on, it looks like Bridges could be the odd man out.
New York shouldn’t want to get rid of anybody. The entire starting lineup should be safe. But if Bridges keeps playing like this, trading him seems to be the clear choice. Keep everybody else.
Mikal Bridges' rough play is putting him on the chopping block
Karl-Anthony Towns has been on fire this season. He’s brought it. Miles McBride has been playing well, too. (Maybe there’s something to be said about players looking for new contracts playing well.)
But outside of that, nobody on the Knicks has been playing particularly well. All the other stars have been struggling. But nobody has been struggling quite like Bridges.
Through his first three games of the new season, Bridges has been playing 30.0 minutes per contest. That’s a lot, but not quite as many as Bridges may be used to.
To make matters worse, the counting stats have been very rough for Bridges, too. In three games, Bridges has averaged a measly 3.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists.
He has shot 5-of-23 from the field (21.7%) and a terrible 0-of-10 from beyond the three-point arc. You can’t get much worse than that, and it’s not a great sign for him.
So, as the Knicks decide which guys they potentially want to cut ties with moving forward (for money’s sake), Bridges is definitely going to be at the top of the list.
Jalen Brunson isn’t going anywhere. He’s the King of New York. Towns shouldn’t go anywhere, either. Josh Hart isn’t obscenely expensive, and OG Anunoby has been one of the best 3-and-D players in the league for years.
That leaves Bridges. He’s too inconsistent on offense, and his start to this season only furthers that point. So, as the Knicks figure out what they want to do with their books, Bridges could be putting himself on the chopping block
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