Knicks Star Shooting Out of Slump

New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges had a rough start to the season after his blockbuster trade from the Brooklyn Nets, but things are beginning to slow down for the seventh-year pro from Villanova.

In November, Bridges averaged 14.7 points per game while shooting just over 43 percent from the field and under 30 percent from distance. But in December, it’s been nearly a 180-degree shift.

In the past eight games, Bridges is averaging 22.1 points per game while making over 58 percent of his shots and 43.1 percent from downtown.

“[I] just stayed locked in,” Bridges said via New York Daily News reporter Kristian Winfield about his struggles.

“They’re not there every day with me in the gym working and understanding. Nothing much I could listen to because they’re not there with me. So just taking it day by day and just knowing it’s a process and something I had to get used to — getting traded in the summer versus halfway through the season when you already have a rhythm.”

Now that Bridges is more familiar with the Knicks’ way of doing things, his strong play has rubbed off on some of his teammates, including fellow newbie Karl-Anthony Towns.

“Us as teammates, we had to help him, and we had to be better for him,” Towns said via Winfield. “I think all of us understood the challenge and accepted the challenge and made it an emphasis to get him going. He’s not just a player in this league. He’s a star in this league, and he deserves to have the thought process of a star.”

Bridges is now playing like the player that was traded for five first-round picks, and he needs to stay that way if the Knicks are going to enter the championship contender conversation.

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