Don’t blame Mikal Bridges for his paltry stats. Blame the role.
That was the message from teammate Josh Hart, who said the criticism of Bridges is “unfair” since he’s getting even fewer opportunities than even last season.
“He’s been doing what’s been asked of him,” Hart said. “And I’ve said it before — when you’re a guy who, for a year and a half [with the Brooklyn Nets] when you’re the No. 1 guy and he’s getting those plays called for him.
“Last year, he didn’t have many plays called for him. This year, he probably has even less plays called for him. So obviously there’s a mental hurdle he needs to get through and that’s something where some of us can help him. I think he gets some of that unfair flak just because he’s doing what’s asked of him. And if we were to sit there and say, go shoot 15 shots a game, he would be efficient and he could do it. But that’s not what’s been asked of him.”
Indeed, Bridges is averaging fewer shot attempts, minutes and points than in his previous three seasons — including his 1 ½ years with the Nets as their top scorer. On the Knicks this season, he’s been the fourth or fifth option. But Bridges was also misfiring with his opportunities and stuck in a deep slump.
Since the All-Star break, entering Sunday’s win over the Wizards, he was averaging just 10.4 points on 40.6 percent shooting and 31.3 percent from beyond the arc.
And it was worse lately.
In the eight games before the Knicks’ win over the Wizards on Sunday, Bridges was down to averages of just 7.3 points on 33 percent shooting — including 25 percent on 3s. So he was taking fewer shots but missing them at a much higher rate since February.
On Sunday, coach Mike Brown reiterated his belief that Bridges would break out of the slump. The coach said his faith stems from Bridges’ attitude and his long history as a productive player. He had 14 points on 6-for-11 shooting against Washington.
“He’s shown time after time that he’s a high-level player. And he’s done it,” Brown said. “I’ve been around many players who have gone through their ups and downs throughout the course of the season.
“And he works at it very hard. And he cares at a high level. Usually when you have that combination from a veteran guy that’s produced the way he’s produced in the NBA, it tends to lead to good results, eventually.”
Still, Bridges’ slide felt more prolonged and severe than the run-of-the-mill funk. And Brown responded by giving Bridges fewer minutes, which was easier since Landry Shamet was surging as the backup.
One difference Sunday was that the insurance option — Shamet — was unavailable. The two-way guard sat for the first time since Jan. 14 because of a knee injury sustained in Brooklyn two nights earlier.
Shamet’s official injury designation was a sore right knee, which Brown said was banged. It meant opportunities were available for other bench players — specifically Mohamed Diawara and Jordan Clarkson — or potentially for Bridges to get more runway to break out of his slump.
“There are going to be some minutes to grab,” Brown said. Bridges played 30 minutes Sunday.
Hart wants to help where he can — but he also noted that Bridges’ reduced role shouldn’t be overlooked.
“Try to make sure to get him involved a little bit more, get him the ball when he’s running in transition, get him in position to be successful,” Hart said. “He’s been doing what’s been asked of him.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
