Dylan Backer
New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges has had a rough month of March. Through an eight-game stretch, he scored in double figures only twice and averaged barely over seven points per game.
Knicks’ Mikal Bridges is slowly heading in the right direction
Additionally, he was losing his minutes to some of the other depth guards on the roster, such as Landry Shamet and Jordan Clarkson. However, Bridges put together a very productive effort in their blowout win over the Washington Wizards on Sunday.
Bridges scored 14 points in 30 minutes of action on 6-for-11 shooting from the field and 2-for-4 from three. Furthermore, he led the team in plus-minus at +28, putting in strong work on both ends of the floor and being a key contributor to their 145-113 beat down of Washington at Madison Square Garden.
While 14 points in that amount of time doesn’t seem overly productive, it is a step in the right direction given his recent stretch. Efficiency with his shot has become a real issue, and his defense hasn’t been significantly better than that of Shamet and Clarkson, which contributed to him playing less minutes.
The Knicks need Bridges to be on his A-game
Things hit a new low for Bridges last week against the Golden State Warriors. In a nail-biter against a depleted Warriors roster, Bridges played only 21 minutes, his second-fewest in a game this season, and scored just seven points on 3-for-10 shooting as the Knicks pulled off a 21-point comeback to win 110-107.
It is no secret how much the Knicks gave up to bring Bridges in. They traded five first-round picks to get him from the Brooklyn Nets, and then signed him to a lucrative four-year, $150 million extension last summer following his first season with the team. The expectations for him are high, and his underperforming has led to harsh criticism of his on-court play.
Regardless of how warranted that criticism is, a major key for any success the Knicks want to have hinges on Bridges’ play. While his performance against Washington wasn’t mind blowing, it was a step in the right direction of possibly entering a phase of consistent production.
More about:New York Knicks
