When the New York Knicks traded for Mikal Bridges this summer, it was a huge deal—in both senses of the phrase. In the metaphorical sense, the move made waves across the NBA landscape. Everyone went berserk about the impact Bridges could have in New York. That, combined with the Villanova connection, was enough to get everyone excited.
But from a literal sense, the deal was massive. New York gave up five first-rounders (and a pick swap) in the deal to bring Bridges to the Knicks, selling a huge chunk of their future to get a guy who they believed could be a great offensive option and a stellar defender.
He hasn’t been either of those things.
Mikal Bridges' defense is an unavoidable problem
Bridges’ offense has come around a bit, but he’s not nearly as efficient as the Knicks may have hoped. But the more concerning issue has been his struggles on the defensive side of the ball.
Jalen Brunson isn’t the best defender, and neither is Karl-Anthony Towns. But their offense more than makes up for that, as does their effort on the defensive end. The Knicks make up for those lulls with athletic wing defenders capable of taking on the toughest matchups in the league.
OG Anunoby and Josh Hart. Bridges is supposed to be a part of that group.
He has not been.
As discussed on the Game Theory Podcast w/ Sam Vecenie, Bridges has been getting absolutely torched in ball screens this season. The most recent example was Trae Young destroying him in the Knicks’ NBA Cup loss to the Atlanta Hawks, but Andrew Claudio of Knicks Film School pointed out that even Vasilije Micic of the Charlotte Hornets was beating Bridges.
Just a few short years ago, when Bridges was still on the Phoenix Suns, he finished in second place in Defensive Player of the Year voting behind Marcus Smart. Now, he’s getting beat by Micic at a concerning rate. That’s a wild downward slide, and perhaps it’s time for some difficult conversations.
If the Knicks want to reach their ultimate goal of winning a championship, it’s more than likely they will have to go through the Boston Celtics in the playoffs. And if not, the Cleveland Cavaliers could potentially be there.
Micic and Young beating Bridges off screens is one thing, but having to go up against a lineup of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard is another. The same can be said for Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland.
Bridges is leading the league in minutes per game, but if his defensive struggles continue, how are the Knicks supposed to trust him in big spots? It’s a one-way ticket to losing games at the highest level.
So, the conversation then becomes, what’s the solution? New York gave up too much for Bridges to completely slash his minutes, and he’s too good of an overall player for that, anyway. But the defense is a real problem. And conversations need to be had. Because if this continues, the Knicks will be in a rough, rough spot moving forward.