Mikal Bridges has spent his first two seasons in New York dealing with two different kinds of noise: too many minutes early on, then too much chatter about the draft-pick cost of the trade that brought him to the Knicks. That dynamic has shifted now, and it’s opened the door for the kind of appreciation Bridges has long earned.
Under Mike Brown, Bridges’ workload finally came down to a more manageable level. After logging 37.0 minutes per game in his first season with New York, he dropped to 32.8 minutes per game in Brown’s first year as head coach.
That change matters. It gave Bridges a chance to settle into the role the Knicks actually need from him instead of surviving night after night on sheer volume.
Then came the other distraction. When the Knicks trailed the Atlanta Hawks 2-1 in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs, criticism of the Bridges deal flared back up.
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith was among those hammering the trade, arguing that the draft picks New York sent out for Bridges could have been used in a run at Giannis Antetokounmpo.
But the Knicks answered that noise the best way possible: by winning 15 of their next 16 games and claiming their first championship in 53 years.
Bridges was a central part of that run, and his value shows up everywhere on the floor. Offensively, he gives New York a little bit of everything.
He knocked down 37.5 percent of his catch-and-shoot attempts in 2025-26. He also attacked closeouts and shot 49.7 percent on drives.
Add in a playmaking layer - 4.1 assists per 36 minutes in 2025-26 - and a steady midrange game, where he hit 46.8 percent of his attempts this past season, and you get a wing who fits almost any lineup.
The defensive profile is just as impressive. Bridges ranked in the 95th percentile in matchup difficulty as a defender this past season, while also landing in the 90th percentile in perimeter isolation defense and the 98th percentile in off-ball chaser defense, per Basketball Index. That’s the kind of versatility that lets New York use him however it needs him: on quicker guards to ease the burden on Jalen Brunson, or on bigger wings so OG Anunoby can hunt passing lanes.
The 2026 NBA Playoffs offered a clean snapshot of that value. Bridges opened the first round on smaller guards like Nickeil Alexander-Walker and CJ McCollum.
In the second round, he was tasked with slowing All-NBA guard Tyrese Maxey. Then, in the Conference Finals, he held James Harden to 3-of-17 shooting from the field.
By the NBA Finals, he was helping force Stephon Castle, De’Aaron Fox, and Dylan Harper into a combined 10-of-36 from the floor.
And even when Bridges isn’t touching the ball, he still bends defenses. He finished the 2025-26 season in the 87th percentile in off-ball movement and the 91st percentile in off-ball gravity, which means his presence alone changes how opponents have to guard the Knicks.
After two seasons packed with distractions, Bridges is finally in position to get what he’s actually earned: recognition as one of the best two-way wings in the NBA.
In Other News...
Mike Breen Identified What Defined The Knicks Under Finals Pressure
Mike Breen stepped into the SNY broadcast booth during a Mets game and used the moment to reflect on the Knicks championship path, zeroing in on the mental side of their 2026 NBA Finals run. What stood out to him was how the group handled pressure as a unit, with playoff-tested veterans and willing role players helping the Knicks absorb the stress of an NBA Finals stage that can rattle even the most talented teams.
Across the first two games against the San Antonio Spurs, New York had to play from behind and still found a way to settle in and make winning plays late. Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart each had their turns carrying the load, but Breens point was broader than any one performance: the Knicks title push was built on collective sacrifice, and that showed up every time the game started tilting the wrong way. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Veteran Big Search Just Got More Interesting In Portland
Portlands backcourt depth took a serious hit with Shaedon Sharpe expected to miss six months because of a torn meniscus, and that kind of injury ripple can alter more than just the rotation. For a Blazers team already juggling its roster, the pressure now falls on the front office to make sure every spot is doing real work, especially after claiming center Micah Potter off waivers.
Potters situation is the one worth watching from a Knicks perspective. Portland is over capacity and already has two centers ahead of him, which could make him the odd man out if the Blazers need to clear room elsewhere. If he becomes available, New York has reason to look closely, because the Knicks still have a need for a veteran big man. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Suddenly Look Like A Real Landing Spot For Kelly Olynyk
Kelly Olynyk is still on the market, and the pool of obvious landing spots has narrowed after Golden State used its final roster openings elsewhere. That leaves the veteran big man weighing a familiar kind of late-summer uncertainty, with a handful of teams still in the mix and the chance of a standard contract looking slimmer by the day.
The Knicks, though, suddenly stand out as a place where Olynyk could actually compete for a spot rather than simply wait for one to open up. A training-camp invite or another non-guaranteed arrangement would give New York a low-risk look at a player who could fit into its center depth, and for Olynyk it would create a real path to stick around if he can make the case on the floor. [Read more 🡒]