Knicks know they can depend on Mikal Bridges
New York Knicks' Mikal Bridges (25) drives past Toronto Raptors' Brandon Ingram, center rear, and Scottie Barnes on a screen from New York Knicks' Jalen Brunson (11) during the second half of an NBA Cup basketball game in Toronto, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. Credit: AP/Sammy Kogan
Mikal Bridges knows how to come up big when it really matters.
We all saw that in the playoffs last season when he made huge plays on both ends of the floor that were pivotal as the Knicks won their first-round series against Detroit and second-round series against Boston.
Not only did those plays change the mindset of a Knicks fan base that had never fully embraced the team’s decision to give up a boatload of draft picks for him, but it also seemed to impact Bridges' mindset. He forgot about his early difficulties as a Knick and has continued to make big play after big play this season.
Meaningful games are hard to come by in the NBA before January. That being said, the NBA Cup — which continues Saturday as the Knicks play Orlando in the semifinals in Las Vegas — sort of fits the bill. Don’t be surprised, then, if it’s Bridges who comes up with a big game-turning steal or rebound that puts the Knicks in a position to win.
No player has improved more under new coach Mike Brown than Bridges, who is averaging multiple career highs despite playing almost three minutes less a game than he did last season.
His averages of 4.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.1 blocks are the highest of his eight seasons in the NBA. He also is on pace to have the third-best overall shooting (52.5%) and second-best three-point shooting (41.0%) of his career. He is averaging 16.4 points per game — an impressive feat given that he plays alongside offensive-minded superstars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns.
When you combine this with his ironman streak of 637 consecutive games, including playoffs — he hasn’t missed a game since he was drafted in 2018 — the 6-6 Bridges may be the most dependable two-way player in the league.
That’s been a big thing for the Knicks. Every other starter has missed at least one game, Brunson has missed two and OG Anunoby has missed nine.
“Mikal's been great. He's a high, high, high-level two-way guy,” Brown said. “And he's showing it. The versatility that he has in terms of guarding one through three and sometimes four has been big for us, because a guy at his length that has the understanding or feel or what to do when he's in certain situations guarding the different players is really good for us. And then his ability to get out in transition and to cut in the half court, those have been huge.”
Brunson, who was Bridges’ teammate at Villanova, is not surprised to see him having this kind of impact.
“It’s who he’s been since college,” Brunson said “He’s made plays down the stretch on every team he’s been on . . . So this is nothing different. He’s just wearing New York across his chest. That’s the only thing that’s different. He’s been the same person, he’s been the same player. He’s more comfortable with a year under his belt, so it may look different. But it’s just who he is. He thrives making big plays.”
Bridges' superpower, Brunson says, is the fact that he’s a “psychopath” as far as preparation.
“He takes care of his body,'' he said. "He works tremendously hard. He’s a psychopath when it comes to his craft. He’s locked in with everything he needs to do to make sure he’s ready. And that’s just who he’s been since I met him.”
When asked to elaborate on Bridges’ psychopathic tendencies, Brunson laughed.
“That’s not my story to tell. But he’s a lunatic for sure.”
Bridges acknowledged that he does have a routine that he likes to stick to when it comes to getting ready for games.
“Maybe a little psychopath. But nothing crazy,” he said. “Try to take care of every single day, to stay up on it. Know to take advantage of cold tubs and always get a massage before the game. A structured routine and everything.
“It’s just being consistent with it. It’s a long season with a lot of emotions going on. You can tend to stop doing a lot of things. I just try to be consistent at all times and try to do all the things that’s preparing me for the game.”
In other words, Bridges has learned to control what he can control. He couldn’t help that fans took a while to warm up to him after the Knicks gave up six first-round picks and a second-rounder to get him. What he could do is just keep his head down, learn his teammates and try to step up big when they need him most.
Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.
