The New York Knicks were well on their way toward entering the 2025 NBA Playoffs with a full head of steam. New York was in the midst of a stretch of 13 wins in 18 games, with Jalen Brunson strengthening his All-NBA First Team case with every passing outing.
Unfortunately, Brunson went down on Thursday, Mar. 6 with a sprained ankle that's expected to keep him out for at least two weeks.
Replacing Brunson with an individual player is an impossible task. Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau openly acknowledged that when he stated that the team would need to make up for the superstar's absence with an all-hands-on-deck type of approach.
New York, unfortunately, lost its first full game without Brunson, but responded remarkably well with a 131-104 blowout victory over the Sacramento Kings on Monday, Mar. 10.
Much can be said about the games played without Brunson, as New York has revealed its strengths and weaknesses in just two outings. The big takeaway, however, is that the Knicks have an unlikely playmaker who seemed to be waiting for this moment to emerge.
Despite boasting a career average of just 2.7 assists per game, it's Mikal Bridges who has stepped up to lead the Knicks in the playmaking department.
Knicks' Mikal Bridges is suddenly emerging as a productive facilitator
Bridges is widely regarded as one of the best 3-and-D wings in the NBA, with the added benefit of being able to create at a respectable level. That's enabled him to average 17.2 points per game for the Knicks in 2024-25, albeit while struggling to find his footing from beyond the arc.
Nevertheless, he's a career 37.1 percent shooter from beyond the arc who has shot 59.4 percent on two-point field goals and 37.7 percent on catch-and-shoot threes in 2024-25.
The skill that few expected to become a strength is the combination of court vision and passing ability that's quietly helped save the Knicks in key moments. That includes the recent group of games without Brunson.
Bridges tallied 22 points and five assists during the first game without Brunson, and tied a season-high with eight dimes during the win over the Kings.
For a player who has never averaged more than 3.6 assists per game, this is a welcome surprise. Bridges has not only turned things up a notch, but he's actually managed to build upon the success he'd quietly experienced in 2024-25.
Bridges has now recorded 21 games with at least five assists this season, 10 of which have transpired since the calendar turned over to 2025.
Bridges has averaged 4.0 assists per contest since Jan. 12, which includes a sufficient sample size of 25 games. He's also recorded at least eight assists in two of the five games the Knicks have played since Mar. 1, averaging 4.0 between the other three.
Questions inevitably arose about how the Knicks would game plan for losing Brunson's playmaking, but Bridges is already answering the call before concerns can truly materialize.