Through the first nine games of the New York Knicks' title defense, Mikal Bridges has been struggling mightily. The starting wing is averaging 6.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game. So far, he's made just 32.9% of his field goal attempts.
Head coach Mike Brown has leaned on both Landry Shamet and Jordan Clarkson amid Bridges' struggles, just like he did last season. But whether Brown has raised his standards for his proven group of NBA Champions or Bridges is further away from meeting his standards than ever before, something is different this season.
Brown has benched Bridges three times already through nine games. Last year, Brown had benched Bridges a total of seven times in the regular season. Luckily for Knick fans, however, they've been here before. This is not the first time that Bridges has left the orange and blue faithful worrying about the five first-round draft picks their team traded for his services.
As maddening as it might be to those very fans, the only other thing about Bridges that's seemingly as consistent as his game-to-game availability is his tendency to come through when it matters most. Bridges seems to view saving a huge play in the NBA Playoffs the same way he views playing in a regular season game against the Charlotte Hornets — as something he wouldn't dare miss out on.
There's good and bad to everything—including Bridges' stellar availability
The first time Bridges was benched during the 2025-26 regular season was January 24, against the Philadelphia 76ers. The wing attempted 16 field goals in fewer than 29 minutes of playing time and made just three of them.
Against the Boston Celtics in the second game of the Knicks' young season, Bridges played 22 minutes. He missed all eight of his field goal attempts in that time before being replaced by Shamet early in the fourth quarter. He scored six and 12 points, respectively, in the team's next two games before being benched again on the second night of a back-to-back.
Brown didn't wait against the Chicago Bulls, pulling Bridges for the night when there were still about eight minutes remaining in the third quarter. The wing followed that up with a lively performance against the 76ers, scoring 12 points on 5-8 FG (and racking up three steals) in the team's second loss of the season to LeBron James' new team.
The Knicks' next game was against Bridges' old team: the Brooklyn Nets. Once again, the starter was pulled — for the rest of the night — early in the third quarter. Brown turned to veteran Jordan Clarkson, who earned his keep and logged 15 minutes of playing time in each of the Knicks' next two games.
Ultimately, Bridges doesn't seem like he'll be changing his ways anytime soon. That's a good thing for Knick fans, who will desperately need his defensive motor, versatility, and overall skill set in the 2027 NBA Playoffs.
Until then, though, it's worth accepting that Shamet and Clarkson are likely going to continue to close games over Bridges. Someone more conspiratorial than this scribe might even remember the wing's comments to the media near the end of the 2024-25 season — and wonder if that might just be exactly how the wing likes it.
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