When the New York Knicks acquired Mikal Bridges, there was a clear goal in mind; adding more defensive firepower at the forward position. A two-way wing was perfect for what this team needed, and while I doubt his offensive ceiling is high enough to be a reliable second option on a championship contender, he won’t be asked to do that. Jalen Brunson is the obvious first option, and Julius Randle is the second option on that side of the ball, but Bridges won’t even be asked to be this team’s first option defensively.
OG Anunoby will probably remain the primary defensive option for this team, but with Bridges as his running mate for stopping the myriad of athletic scorers in this league, they might form the best defensive duo in the league this upcoming season.
Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby Give the Knicks a Defensive Wall
The Knicks made sure to address their defense in the winter after posting the second-worst Defensive Rating in the postseason. It’s hard to imagine that this team could need defensive help even after adding OG Anunoby, but the departure of Isaiah Hartenstein would hurt significantly more without the Mikal Bridges trade. These two wings are some of the most talented and spectacular defensive players in the NBA, providing both raw value and immense versatility to this team.
OG Anunoby was in the 99th Percentile in Defensive EPM, and while Mikal Bridges slipped to the 80th Percentile in that metric this past season, there’s reason to believe a massively reduced role offensively could help him defensively. The Nets had a terrible supporting cast around Bridges, with his second-best player in many cases being the severely flawed Cam Thomas or regressed versions of Cam Johnson and Nic Claxton. With the Knicks, the players around Bridges are perfect for complimenting his skillset, and this system could closely mirror the one he played in with the Suns.
Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson create so many scoring opportunities for their teammates because of their ability to score from all over the court and handle the rock well. Mikal Bridges could get some chances to put the ball on the floor and score, but in all likelihood, he’ll be seen more as a tertiary option who focuses most of his efforts on defense, which should allow him to return to the caliber of defender he was before the Kevin Durant trade.
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These are two elite defenders who can rover around the court and provide much-needed help at the perimeter, as Mitchell Robinson should be able to anchor the paint as he usually does. I wouldn’t consider Julius Randle to be a strong defender, but he’s certainly physical enough to give scorers a second thought about just driving toward the basket when he’s around. Controlling the perimeter on both sides of the ball is one of the most important aspects of winning a basketball game in the modern era, and the Knicks are perfectly equipped to do so.
Both OG and Bridges are excellent three-point shooters, and if the Knicks can keep them working on the perimeter defensively they could create some serious problems for the NBA. Jalen Brunson proved to be one of the best scorers in the league last year without the help of someone like Julius Randle for most the year, and with the defensive improvements they’ve made on top of that, I expect this team to contend for a title this season. The Boston Celtics are the favorites for good reason, but we’ll see if this elite defensive duo can help bring the Knicks to the top of the NBA world.