Knicks' Mikal Bridges Predicted to See Role Decrease

The New York Knicks may get the best version of Mikal Bridges.

Jeremy Brener | Sep 18, 2024

Mar 2, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Mikal Bridges (1) drives to the basket in the third quarter against the Atlanta Hawks at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

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New York Knicks

When New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges was traded for the first time in his career from the Phoenix Suns to the Brooklyn Nets, he went from being a role player to a top option in the offense.

Now that he's moved from the Nets to the Knicks, he'll likely return to being a role player, but that could be a good thing for his new team.

"Bridges wasn’t able to keep up the All-Star-level pace he showed in his first half-season in Brooklyn, regressing to being merely a good starter last season, albeit not one impactful enough to prevent the Nets from going 32-50," HoopsHype writes. "But it’s possible – if not likely – that Bridges going back to being a third option on offense like he projects to be in New York next season will help him get back to his most impactful version, a star role player who can score from three or the midrange, space the floor or slash and, most importantly, defend at a high level on the defensive end."

Bridges, 28, averaged 19.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game for the Nets last season in his only full year with Brooklyn. He isn't expected to have those numbers in New York with Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle likely to get more offensive touches, but Bridges shouldn't be too far off of his Nets averages.

Bridges is coming to the Knicks to be himself. That's all the Knicks need him to be. They have a strong core with players that got them extremely close to an Eastern Conference Finals berth, so that's why Bridges coming in to complement his former collegiate Villanova teammates could end up becoming the best spot for him to be in his career.

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Published Sep 18, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.