After a slow start to the season, the New York Knicks are on the right track. They have a 24-10 record entering Friday and have won nine consecutive games. They look unbeatable on some nights with their on-court chemistry, which continues to improve by the game.
Mikal Bridges has turned things around thanks to the support of his teammates
At the start of the season, however, the Knicks lacked some chemistry, often looking out of sync on the court. That was to be expected, as the franchise made two sweeping trades in the offseason for Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns that completely changed the structure of the team.
It was unclear how long it would be until they started to gel on the court, but it appears that they are in a rhythm that will only continue to get better. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on the Hoop Collective Podcast that the team coming to the defense of Bridges during his early season struggles actually helped improve their chemistry.
“The players coming to [Mikal] Bridges’ defense was galvanizing within the locker room. Now, it’s not surprising that Josh Hart—who’s one of Mikal Bridges’ best friends—would come to his defense. But it wasn’t just Hart. A number of players did. Because they were struggling. Bridges was struggling. He was kind of the face of their early struggles because of the trade, because of the five first-round picks. That has helped their chemistry, from what I am told,” said Windhorst.
Bridges’ start to the season was rough for him. In November, he averaged just 14.7 points and shot 43.3% from the floor and 29.3% which were ominous figures for him. Concerns about a noticeable change in his jump shot had fans worried, especially considering the haul that New York gave up to acquire Bridges.
Bridges has been excellent for the Knicks since December
However, December saw a big turnaround for Bridges, as he averaged 21.5 points per game, improved his defense with 1.4 steals, and shot 56% from the floor and 43.3% from three, including a historic 41-point performance against the San Antonio Spurs on Christmas Day. Additionally, he had the highest plus-minus out of all players in December at +190, with the next highest being Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder at +166.
He continued his success into January, as he scored 27 points on 12-for-17 shooting In Wednesday’s win over the Jazz. The Knicks rallied behind Bridges amidst a poor start and now he is looking like the hybrid type of player that they traded for.
His turnaround is massive for the Knicks, as with Josh Hart and OG Anunoby’s offensive leaps this season, Bridges makes their starting five appear to be the deepest in the league, as any one of them can have a big performance on any given night.
Bridges will look to continue his success with a big test on Friday, as he and the Knicks will take on the 28-5 Oklahoma City Thunder on the road.