Ever since Mikal Bridges' arrival, he's been evaluated by fans of the Knicks based on his price tag: five first-round picks. Considering Bridges has never made an All-Star squad, this evaluation seemed potentially unfair from the start.
Bridges' cold streak over the teams' recent stretch is alarming, but not because he isn't playing to his ceiling. Getting the best version of Mikal Bridges every night was never the reason why New York broke the bank for him. The team paid a pretty penny to ensure they were adding a player with consistency written all over him. That was mostly holding up, too: until recently.
As the league leader in consecutive regular season games played, the Villanova product has been historically reliable in terms of being on the court. But over his past nine starts as of Tuesday, his reliability has arguably stopped there. Bridges has averaged about eight points per game and about three assists, while shooting only 24% from deep and 35% from the floor in that span.
Knicks can't afford to bench Bridges in the playoffs
While all of those statistics are rough, the most alarming stats are his shooting percentages. Although the Knicks paid the price for a presumably elite scorer when trading for Bridges, the wing had never been one. His greatest traits include accurate shooting, effectiveness off the ball, efficiency, and availability. Health aside, New York has struggled in each of those other categories over his slump.
With two elite scorers in Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, the Knicks don't necessarily need Bridges to serve as an aggressive third option. Instead, they need him to be an efficient shooter who can knock down open shots. He starred in this role just last season when New York beat Boston in the playoffs. Mike Brown acknowledged that his veteran wing has been struggling in that department as of late, but said he's not alone.
"It's no secret that Mikal has not shot the ball well. He's given us life at times. I thought he was great in Indiana, on both sides of the floor. It's not just Mikal, it's us collectively as a group," Brown said after the Knicks' win over the Warriors on Sunday.
Bridges needs to keep finding ways to help his squad despite his shooting struggles. He's done so at times, and he's been benched down the stretch when he can't. But even if New York won some of those games, they need him to get back to making shots to reach their full potential. That's the level of basketball they'll need to play if they want more playoff success than last year.
Bridges' consistency is crucial to New York's success
Before his recent struggles and throughout the season, Bridges has shown the ability to play his role perfectly. On the year, he's averaging about 15 points on 49% from the floor and 37% from deep. These efficient numbers and his defensive presence are key reasons why the Knicks are the three seed in the East.
Bridges was the final piece of what the Knicks are hoping is a championship puzzle, but the last piece one finds isn’t often a corner. It more often belongs somewhere in the middle, playing the unsung but crucial role of holding everything else together.
That sounds more like the consistent value Bridges is supposed to provide. It’s definitely what the Knicks are going to need from him in the playoffs.