Mikal Bridges finally solved a problem the Knicks have been begging him to fix

For approximately forever, the New York Knicks and their fans have been hoping Mikal Bridges might one day stop shying away from contact, and put real, live, actual pressure on the basket. The wait is finally over.

Though you wouldn’t know it by looking at his free-throw attempts, Bridges is attacking the basket more frequently than ever. When paired with the reinvention of Karl-Anthony Towns’ role as a playmaking hub and Jalen Brunson’s transformative focus on table-setting during colder-shooting stretches, the Knicks’ offense is exploring new levels of unsolvability because of it.

More critically, Bridges’ revamped rim pressure has now sustained long enough to be considered more than a fleeting trend.

Mikal Bridges is reaching the rim more than ever

While Bridges’ offensive output didn’t immediately turn around once the Knicks began their nine-game playoff winning streak, it reared its magnificent head before the end of the Atlanta Hawks series. Since Game 6 of the first round, he has attempted 32 shots in the restricted area. That is the second-most on the team, trailing only Jalen Brunson.

But wait, it gets better.

Bridges is shooting 87.5 percent on these looks at the hoop. Yes, you  are reading that correctly. His 28 makes during this span rank eighth in the entire league, putting him in the same realm as perimeter players known for their rim pressure like Stephon Castle (30 makes), and Donovan Mitchell (31).

Believe it or not, it gets better still.

These looks at the rim represent 39 percent of Bridges’ shot atempts. That is an at-the-basket frequency he has not sniffed in years. Here is a look at the share of Bridges’ shot attempts that have come at the rim for his career, with his playoff rates in parentheticals where applicable:

• 2025-26: 24 percent (36 percent)
• 2024-25: 22 percent (20 percent)
• 2023-24: 23 percent 
• 2022-23: 25 percent (20 percent
• 2021-22: 30 percent (38 percent)
• 2020-21: 33 percent  (30 percent)
• 2019-20: 45 percent
• 2018-19: 34 percent

Bridges’ recent volume at the rim is unlike anything he has ever sustained in the postseason. He hasn’t even sniffed this kind of close-range pressure since playing in Phoenix.

The Knicks are a problem with this version of Mikal Bridges

New York’s offense is close to Teflon when Bridges activates this kind of attack mode. The team has an offensive rating of nearly 136 with him on the court during this seven-game stretch.

Bridges isn’t strictly benefiting from extra transition opportunities, either. Fast breaks are part of the equation. He is eurostepping with more intention through defenders, and not picking up his dribble too early before doing so. But he’s also following through in the half-court, against defenses that aren’t yet on their back feet. 

More than 18 percent of his half-court shots are coming at the rim. That number was 6.3 percent during his first five playoff games, and hovered around 11 percent during the regular season. 

The significance of this development cannot be understated. Bridges’ cutting instincts are giving Towns another passing outlet, and his added downhill aggression is allowing the Knicks to alleviate usage and pressure from OG Anunoby’s shoulders as he continues to work his way back from a hamstring injury.

Bake in Bridges’ defense for the entire postseason, along with some big-time three-point buckets, and this is, without question, the best version of him the Knicks have ever seen—perhaps not the iteration they thought they traded for, but one worth what they gave up, and then subsequently paid him all the same.

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