One of the biggest issues with the Knicks last season was their 3-point volume, where they ranked 27th in the league. If their offense is going to take a step forward this year, they are going to have to generate more threes, and Bridges is the key to doing it.
Bridges prefers to operate in the mid-range, where he was one of the league's most accurate shot-makers last season. Among players who took at least 150 field goals inside the 3-point line and outside of the paint, Bridges ranked fifth with a field goal percentage of 49.3, according to league tracking data.
Being able to get to your spot in the mid-range and knock down a jumper is a very valuable skill. That said, in the modern NBA, teams need to shoot a lot of threes to survive. It is simple math. The Knicks need to find ways to generate more of them, and Bridges is the prime candidate.
Bridges needs to take more threes off the dribble
Bridges should have the ball in his hands more this year, as the Knicks try to expand their offense, involve more players, and get Jalen Brunson more off-ball looks. Mike Brown also wants to involve Karl-Anthony Towns as more of a playmaking hub, which could mean more two-man actions between Bridges and Towns.
Last season, Bridges shot the ball 40 percent of the time after receiving an on-ball screen, according to league tracking data. However, he only shot a three-pointer five percent of the time, which was the fourth-lowest among players who received at least 400 on-ball picks and shot the ball at least 40 percent of the time.
Taking threes is one of the most important parts of bending a defense; in fact, the volume of threes that players take dictates how defenses guard them much more than the percentage at which they hit their threes.
3P% influences defenses far less than 3-point volume. It is hard to bend a defense without getting up shots.
— AOP_NBA (@aop_nba) September 25, 2025
Here is the first chart with the volume of 3PA binned pic.twitter.com/jLGGTGDqds
It isn't just Bridges
While Bridges is a key part of the Knicks' increasing their 3-point volume, it doesn't all fall on him. Jalen Brunson also likes getting into the paint and hitting floaters or taking the ball all the way to the basket. Again, this isn't a bad thing and is actually quite important. At the same time, threes are also quite important.
Ultimately, the Knicks need to find a healthy balance. Last year, there weren't enough deep shots. They don't need to abandon the mid-range; they just need to tweak their shot diet.