Mikal Bridges understands why he watched a lot of the fourth quarter from the bench.
Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau pulled Bridges 3 minutes and 45 seconds into the fourth quarter in favor of Miles McBride in an eventual 99-98 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Friday.
The choice marked the second time Thibodeau pulled Bridges within the fourth quarter throughout their five-game street journey, the primary occurring 1 minute and 57 seconds into the fourth quarter of a 121-106 loss to the Utah Jazz.
Bridges shot 3-of-15 from the sphere for seven factors in Utah. He was 3-of-10 from the sphere for eight factors in 37 minutes in Charlotte on Friday earlier than Thibodeau opted to roll with McBride, who completed with 14 factors on 5-of-9 taking pictures from off the bench.
“Clearly I’ve bought to play higher. With the alternatives I get, I have to convert,” Bridges advised reporters at this locker after the sport. “I had a lot of sloppy turnovers, a couple times getting scored on. I just have to be better.”
Bridges’ play shall be beneath the microscope as a result of steep worth the Knicks paid to accumulate him from the Nets.
The Knicks traded 5 complete first-round picks and hard-capped themselves on the second apron to be able to strike a take care of Brooklyn. Draft decide compensation of 4 picks or larger is often reserved for gamers who maintain famous person standing.
In consequence, not solely is Bridges being measured towards the worth the Knicks paid to accumulate him, however to compound issues, he’s additionally taking part in under his personal private requirements.
If he have been to maintain this scoring tempo and effectivity, his first season with the Knicks would mark the worst three-point taking pictures season of his profession and his lowest scoring output since his 2021-22 season with the Phoenix Suns.
“I think I’ve been inconsistent,” he said. “You just have to find a rhythm within the team. We’re not even 20 games in yet, so we’re still trying to figure things out.”
The Knicks, in fact, proceed to have religion.
They imagine Bridges will finally discover his rhythm and revert again to the participant he’s been all his profession, that this taking pictures stoop is a large outlier in a robust and regular profession predicated upon three-point taking pictures and defensive intangibles.
“I know him. I know he’s not worried about it. I’m not worried about him. I think the media and people are killing him,” Josh Hart advised reporters at his locker on Friday. “He’s in a new situation. He’s in a place where he’s been what, 18 games in a different role than he’s played the last 4 years? So it’s our job to get him going and all the other BS about what we gave up, this that or the other, it means nothing. If we win a championship, won’t nobody give a damn about how many picks we give up. We can give up 15 picks. It don’t matter. At the end of the day, we’re trying to win a championship and he’s gonna be a key piece of that.”
Bridges, nonetheless, wasn’t a key piece of the victory on Friday.
It will likely be his job to ship and to regulate to his new position guarding the purpose of assault for the Knick protection. The three-point struggles, too, have been obtrusive given the standard of the seems to be he’s gotten this season.
“We need to continue to build him up. If you go out there and nitpick everything that he does, that’s only detrimental to him,” Hart continued. “So we’re all gonna have a conversation about that—we’ve gotta get him going, and that’s when we’ll get the best version of ‘Kal. It’s 18 games into the season. He’s a hell of a player. He’s been to the Finals. He knows how to win. So we can calm down with all the criticism and nitpicking of a guy who’s won every time he stepped on the court in any situation. A lot of people that can’t do what he does.”
Bridges did get to the foul line towards the Hornets, the place he cut up a pair of free throws.
It marked his first journey to the charity stripe since Nov. 13, however Thibodeau stated free throws aren’t the most important indicator of whether or not or not Bridges is in rhythm.
“I just want him to play his game. Take your shots. Mikal is not a specialist. He’s an all-around player. So he scores in transition, he scores on cuts. He scores in pick and roll. He scores on catch and shoot. Just keep moving and get some easy baskets,” he stated. “Your rhythm’s gonna come and the extra you play with every man on a staff, you’re gonna get some chemistry. They’re gonna get going.
“So let the game tell you what to do, but in the meantime, do other things: play great defense, hit the open man, cut hard. He had a couple great cuts that led to wide open 3s. Two guys went with the cutter, one guy’s wide open. So help the team in whatever way you can. Prioritize the team, and every guy’s gonna go through things throughout the course of a season. That’s part of it. But I like the resolve he’s showing. I like the fight. Like I said, the body of work says who he is.”
