Mike Brown isn’t waiting around to send a message in New York.
In the Knicks’ 112-109 road win over the Philadelphia 76ers on January 24, 2026, Brown pulled Mikal Bridges in the fourth quarter and went with Landry Shamet down the stretch. It was the first of seven regular-season moments in which Brown chose to pivot away from Bridges, who had just signed a four-year contract extension worth a reported $150 million.
That decision looked a lot different once the 2026 NBA Playoffs played out. Bridges’ defense against guards like Tyrese Maxey and Donovan Mitchell mattered far more than any offensive inconsistency, especially during a postseason run that was historically dominant.
Now the Knicks are trying to do something the NBA hasn’t seen in eight years: become the first champions to successfully defend their title since the Golden State Warriors. And Brown has made it clear the standard is only getting tighter. Bridges is still starting, but he’s also getting pulled earlier than he was last season.
That can be a tough sell for fans when the whole starting group has been uneven so far. But Brown’s approach fits the reality of what New York is chasing. If the Knicks are going to get back to the Finals in a loaded Eastern Conference, the margin for comfort is gone.
Last season, Brown didn’t move away from Bridges in closing situations until several months in. Shamet earned that trust with strong bench play, bringing consistent energy and reliable 3-point shooting that made him an easy fit with the starters.
Bridges also had some buy-in to that approach. During the 2024-25 season, he publicly said he wished former head coach Tom Thibodeau would trust his reserves more, even if it meant less playing time for him.
This season, Brown has wasted no time enforcing what he can now call a championship standard. Most of the time, when Shamet enters, Bridges is simply getting the rest of his fourth quarter shift.
The pattern has shown up in a few different spots already. Against the Boston Celtics, Bridges sat the final 8:25. In the Knicks’ first game of the season against the Chicago Bulls, he came out for good with 8:09 left in the third quarter.
The same thing happened Monday night against his former team, the Brooklyn Nets. Bridges did not return after Jordan Clarkson replaced him with 8:44 remaining in the third quarter at Madison Square Garden.
There’s still reason to expect Bridges to settle in. Brown has said the wing just needs to keep playing through his early shooting struggles, and Bridges has already shown he can rise when the games matter most. But for now, the Knicks are making their point early: no one gets a free pass, even a starter.
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Last season, Drummond put up a career-high number of corner threes and finished at a clip that was close to the league average, which gives New York some reason to keep leaning into the experiment. The trade-off is obvious, since he still struggles to finish at the rim, but the Knicks appear willing to live with that if the spacing helps the offense find cleaner looks for the rest of the roster. [Read more 🡒]
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Tyler Kolek Is Quietly Changing The Knicks Trade Deadline Picture
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Miles McBride and Jose Alvarado are among the names that could become more expendable if Kolek keeps trending up, and Alvarados situation adds another wrinkle since he cannot be traded until December 15. Even so, his salary, paired with other contracts, could help the Knicks build a package for a more significant target, which is why the front office is watching Kolek so closely before making any hard decisions. [Read more 🡒]