Knicks' Mikal Bridges has proven himself worth every pick sent to Nets, and more
· Yahoo Sports
When the Knicks were down 2-1 to the Hawks in the first round of the 2026 playoffs, things began to look existential for this core, from the bench all the way up to the President. Everybody was under the spotlight, as another two losses would be a catastrophic failure for a team with championship aspirations, after championship-level big swings.
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Firing head coach Tom Thibodeau and bringing in Mike Brown was one, as was the Karl-Anthony Towns trade, but perhaps the most scrutinized move that built this current iteration was the five first-round picks New York sent Brooklyn to acquire Mikal Bridges. He was a vaunted wing they paid a premium to their crosstown rivals to pick up, and he just put up zero points and four turnovers in a pivotal Game 3 loss.
Many had said he more than proved his worth during the 2025 playoffs, with multiple clutch games and moments to beat the Pistons in round one and upset the Celtics in round two. But this town isn’t big on consolation prizes, and a first-round loss this year would put Bridges on the chopping block and the trade that brought him here under a spotlight.
But since then, we’ve seen a completely different Bridges, one that’s been instrumental to their 11-game win streak and first NBA Finals berth in 27 years. Since that woeful Game 3, he’s cemented his Knicks legacy and once and for all made those picks an afterthought.
It started with his game-changing defense. He locked in on Nickeil Alexander-Walker, this year’s Most Improved Player.
Alexander-Walker went from a 20.8 points per game average in the regular season to 13.7 against the Knicks -- his two-point accuracy falling from 52.5 percent to 32.1 -- and Bridges forced nine turnovers in 29 minutes matched up with him. He was also massive off the ball and on switches, helping take All-Star Jalen Johnson out of the series.
Electric 28.3-points per game scorer Tyrese Maxey awaited Bridges in the second round, and Bridges stepped up to the plate. Bridges held him to an inefficient first two games -- 19 points a night on 38 percent shooting from the field -- and forced eight turnovers in 21 minutes of matchup time.
When OG Anunoby went down with a hamstring injury, Bridges stepped up to take on Paul George to finish the sweep. All the while, Bridges has done the little things on this end as well, boxing out, fighting for boards and running the floor hard.
In the Conference Finals, he had the privilege of guarding James Harden, and once again lived up to the challenge. Harden averaged 16 points on 39 percent shooting from the field and 18 percent shooting from three, struggling to make a real dent in Bridges’ defense.
There are few wings in these playoffs that have comparable impact to Bridges defensively, and he’s been a different offensive force since his zilch. From Game 6 against Atlanta, he’s averaged 18.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.8 steals per game on a remarkable 71.4 percent shooting from two and 37.9 percent from three.
This isn’t just by way of his usual diet of leakouts, catch-and-shoot threes and mid-range pulls, either. Bridges rediscovered his paint aggression, looking for contact and rim attacks in transition and the halfcourt.
He’s been creating for himself more in the pick-and-roll as the series have gone on, even bailing the Knicks out at pivotal times. His huge threes in Game 1 against the Cavaliers, including the fading prayer over Evan Mobley, were crucial to the Knicks pulling off the comeback.
New York will need him to continue this tear in the NBA Finals, but no matter how this final round plays out, the black cloud of draft picks that’s hovered above him for two seasons can now dissipate for good. Bridges has more than proven himself these playoffs, and the front office is validated for taking that swing.