Bridging the Gap

After a slow start to the season, the numbers say Mikal Bridges has turned things around in a big way.

Good morning! Quick reminder that tomorrow’s newsletter (and possibly Thursday’s as well) will be a mailbag edition. Make sure to get your questions in to the chat I posted yesterday or just shoot me an email at KnicksFilmSchool@gmail.com.

Now let’s talk about Mikal Bridges.

Bridging the Gap

What a long, strange journey it’s been for Mikal Bridges.

Barely on the national recruiting scene until late in his high school career, Bridges went to Villanova without a guarantee of playing time, let alone a starting role. At Nova, he grew from a freshman reserve to a junior generating Kawhi Leonard comps, picking up two national titles along the way. Not bad for a kid who got his ass kicked by Josh Hart in practice.

Drafted by his hometown team, the lanky wing was immediately traded to the NBA wasteland known as Phoenix, where in the span of just two years he helped the Suns transform from a last-place team to Western Conference champions. Over that time, he solidified his place as a premier NBA building block (non-star division), a designation solidified when he inked a rookie extension that almost immediately became a ridiculous bargain amidst rising salaries across the league.

Naturally, just as he was reaching the peak of his powers in Phoenix, Bridges was dealt twice in the span of 18 months, first for one of the greatest players of all time, and then for the sort of pick package that’s usually reserved for All-NBA caliber talent. Over that time, he has transformed from a third/fourth option to a 26-point per game scorer to a co-leading man for a dysfunctional, directionless organization, and now is trying to fit into another new team that is itself struggling to form a new identity.

When you take a step back and consider all of the above, maybe we shouldn’t be surprised that Bridges’ Knicks career got off to such an uneven start. Even with that acknowledgment though, patience was running thin by the end of November, both for Mikal individually and a team that was falling short of expectations.

What a difference a few weeks can make.