Knicks Forward Needs to Breakout

New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges hasn’t gotten off to the greatest start for his team.

Bridges, 28, is averaging 16.9 points per game for the Knicks just one year after scoring 19.6 per game with the Brooklyn Nets. Granted, Bridges didn’t have to share the ball with Jalen Brunson or Karl-Anthony Towns last season, but he is playing more minutes, so that doesn’t tell the full story.

With the Knicks facing the Atlanta Hawks in tonight’s NBA Cup semifinal, Bridges has a chance to step into the spotlight and get back some of his swagger.

“Much has been made about Bridges’ 3-point slump to start the season. He shows signs of recovering, having shot 35% since Nov. 15 after shooting 30% in the Knicks’ first 11 games. Less discussed: Bridges, a career 84% free throw shooter, making just 62% thus far. He’d avoided the foul line before going 3-for-5 last Thursday in Charlotte,” ESPN’s Kevin Pelton writes.

Bridges simply hasn’t been the shooter that he was in Brooklyn, and that’s okay. Slumps are to be expected when adjusting to new systems and teammates. There’s hope for Bridges, especially considering he has scored 19 points or more in six of the team’s last seven games.

With the NBA Cup giving a playoff-like atmosphere, Bridges will have a chance to prove to the Knicks why they were smart for trading for him. The game against the Hawks will give him an opportunity to prove himself and show that the new Bridges is here for good and the slumping Bridges is a part of the past.

Bridges and the Knicks are back in action tonight against the Hawks at 7 p.m. ET inside Madison Square Garden. The game can be watched on TNT or streamed on the Max app.

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