It seems like the concerns about New York Knicks’ two-way wing Mikal Bridges are quickly fading, as he continued to take steps in the right direction with an impressive performance against the Indiana Pacers on Friday.
Mikal Bridges was on point for the Knicks on Friday
Bridges scored 21 points on 8-for-12 shooting and nailed two three-pointers. He also added five assists and a steal to his tally with a plus-minus of +13. The third quarter was where he took off, as he made both of his threes in that period and scored 13 points.
The shooting improvements are a good sign for both him and the Knicks. He struggled mightily from three during the preseason, as he shot just 2-for-19 from outside during that, and many were alarmed by a noticeable change in his jump shot form that may have contributed to his struggles.
Those struggles can hopefully be past him now, as he looked as good as he has looked since putting on a Knicks uniform.
He was impactful on the defensive side of the ball as well and was critical to the team holding the Pacers to 98 points and 3-for-30 (10%) from three-point range. The Pacers also turned the ball over 15 times, for which the Knicks scored 29 points.
The Knicks got the version of Bridges that they traded for
Bridges’ play helped quickly spark the Knicks defensively and was a big part of their bounce-back effort after allowing an NBA record 29 threes to the Boston Celtics on opening night. His tenacity on that side of the ball helped them turn strong defense into great offensive opportunities, which is what they were hoping they would get on a nightly basis when they traded for him in the offseason.
The performance was one that he needed to have after a rough opening night game. Bridges had an improved second half Tuesday night against the Celtics, but an underwhelming first half and poor defense all night did not put the Knicks in position to win, so taking steps forward against Indiana is a great sign.
Bridges will look to continue his better play of late on Monday night when they take on the Cleveland Cavaliers.