Mikal Bridges says the noise around his arrival in New York never really stopped mattering to him - even after the Knicks’ championship run in June changed the conversation around the five first-round picks the team sent to Brooklyn in the 2024 offseason.
Bridges, who drew plenty of scrutiny from Knicks fans early in his time with the team, said he doesn’t see the debate as fully settled. At the same time, he made it clear he’s not chasing outside approval.
“I don’t know,” Bridges said. “I’m not sure about that.
Can just say that I’m appreciative of fans. If I see them when I’m walking my dog or something like that, just a lot of nice things to say.
That’s foremost, kind of more like a human on human interaction, just very nice and grateful to be in this position. I don’t need to feel like there’s validation and there’s like, ‘OK, now he can…’ No, I hold myself accountable at all times.”
Bridges also said the criticism never turned into resentment. In his view, the pressure came with a built-in upside: it pushed him.
“That’s the thing that I do love about this organization and the fans, even though some might be a little more crazy than others, they want the best out of you,” he said. “I never take that for granted.
I talk to myself a lot when I go through a lot of things and I got people that help me as well, but that’s one thing that I do take from it, is that they get the best out of me. When I’m struggling and I know I gotta be better, I can’t hide from it sometimes - even though I know internally, the people let me know as well.
As much as you get frustrated about it, the only thing it does is drive me and I continue to try and get better. I’m always appreciative of it.”
Mike Brown, meanwhile, made his message to the Knicks’ bench crystal clear after Wednesday’s practice. According to Jared Schwartz of The New York Post, the coach wasn’t pleased with what he saw and laid out the competition in blunt terms.
“I specifically went down the line talking about Jalen [Brunson], Mikal, OG [Anunoby], KAT [ Karl-Anthony Towns ] and Josh [Hart],” Brown told reporters. “I said, ‘Those five, they’re gonna play.
If they do something wrong, I’m gonna get on them and we’re gonna figure it out, but they’re still gonna play.’ I said, ‘Everybody else in this gym, you’re fighting.
You’re fighting either to make the team or you’re fighting for minutes.’ I said, ‘Look around.
This is not just because we won last year. This has nothing to do with last year’s team.
Those five guys are the same. But everybody - this is a new year, a new team.
We gotta look forward. Every day, it’s a competition.'”
The back end of the roster is still taking shape, and one center appears likely to land the Knicks’ 14th man spot. Stefan Bondy of The New York Post wrote in a subscriber-only training camp story that the team will ultimately keep a center there, setting up a fight between James Wiseman, Tony Bradley and Drew Eubanks unless a trade creates additional room below the second tax apron.
James L. Edwards III and Fred Katz of The Athletic also expect one of those three centers to grab the job, though they split on who has the inside track.
Katz sees Eubanks as the early favorite, while Edwards believes the answer will come down to Wiseman or Bradley. The Athletic pair also identified possible season-long swing pieces: Edwards picked Landry Shamet, and Katz went with Tyler Kolek.
Jordan Clarkson is already looking ahead to a familiar face on October 23, when the Knicks visit Boston to face the Celtics and former Knick Mitchell Robinson. Clarkson said he’s excited to see his friend, but he’s even more interested in beating him.
“I hope he does great things in Boston,” Clarkson said on Wednesday. “But when we see him, we’ve gotta whoop his ass.
But that’s my dog, man. I love that dude forever.”
In Other News...
Mike Brown Just Gave Knicks Fans Another Championship-Era Moment
Mike Brown is still riding the glow of a title season, and a new off-court clip gave Knicks fans another reminder of the championship aura he has brought to New York. A video making the rounds showed Brown in a loose, celebratory mood alongside a familiar winner from the citys football past, a crossover that fit the vibe of an event built around champions and children.
The scene had the easygoing feel of a room full of winners who know exactly what kind of stage they are on, with Brown fresh off his first NBA championship as a head coach after the Knicks captured both the NBA Cup and the NBA Finals in 2025-26. For Knicks fans, it was a small but fun kind of validation - the sort of moment that does not change the standings, but does reinforce that the coach they watched lift trophies can still command a crowd when the lights are off and the music gets going. [Read more 🡒]
OG Anunoby Is Suddenly At The Center Of A Viral Knicks Debate
OG Anunoby has become an unexpected talking point beyond the court after screenshots began circulating online that appear to show direct messages from the Knicks forward to digital influencer Erika Calabrese. The images have fueled a fresh round of online chatter because they suggest an invitation to New York City, and the buzz has quickly spread among fans already used to seeing Anunoby make his case in a far more straightforward way on the floor.
The larger issue is that none of the social-media intrigue has been verified, and the timing of the alleged messages remains unclear. For Knicks fans, it is another reminder that Anunobys profile only keeps rising after his role in New Yorks 2026 NBA Finals run, even if this latest wave of attention has little to do with basketball and a lot to do with what people think they saw on their screens. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Brown Is Already Sending A Message Knicks Fans Will Notice
A sluggish preseason opener against the 76ers gave Mike Brown an early teaching moment, and he wasted no time using it. After the loss, the new Knicks coach called out the teams physicality and hustle, then carried that message into practice as the competition for rotation spots starts to take shape.
Brown made clear the job security picture is different for the starters than it is for the reserves, and that distinction is already being felt around camp. For the players on the bench, the message is simple enough: nothing is coming easy, and every minute will have to be won the hard way. [Read more 🡒]