Considering the fashion of his arrival in a blockbuster trade and the money he's making in a four-year, $150 million extension that just began this season,
Mar 9, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; New York Knicks guard Mikal Bridges moves the ball up court against the Los Angeles Clippers during the first half at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images Considering the fashion of his arrival in a blockbuster trade and the money he’s making in a four-year, $150 million extension that just began this season, Mikal Bridges has become the New York Knicks ’ most frustrating enigma.
When he’s aggressive and confident, he’s a tertiary scorer that catapults the Knicks’ contending hopes to another level. His big night against the San Antonio Spurs on March 1 only strengthened that notion when he dropped 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting, including a 5-for-9 clip from beyond the arc. But then there are stretches like the one he is currently mired in — and the alarm bells are going off everywhere. Bridges has been invisible in each of the Knicks’ last three games . He was held scoreless on six shots in 27 minutes on Sunday in a 110-97 loss to the Lakers in Los Angeles. In the same building on the very next night against the Clippers, he went 3-for-8 for just seven points and was benched during crunch time.He could not get it going against the tanking Utah Jazz on Wednesday night, either. He hit just two of nine shots, again in 27 minutes, for five points. “I think it’s just the game of basketball,” Bridges said. “Sometimes, you try to get open, and sometimes it doesn’t find me. Just try to find a way to stay aggressive. That’s it.” But this is not the time to simply try, or tinker, or experiment. The fact is that the Knicks are trying to click into the right gear before what they are hoping is a deep playoff push, and Bridges simply has not been good enough. Since the All-Star break , he is averaging a paltry 10.8 points on 10.6 shot attempts per game. In his last three games, he is averaging just 7.7 attempts per game. Compare that to the 12.5 shots he averaged across the first 55 games of the first half of the season, and something is just not clicking. Maybe it does boil down to confidence, and Bridges just isn’t willing to shoot because he doesn’t have that touch right now. Maybe he is struggling to find his place in Mike Brown’s offense. This is a similar issue that Karl-Anthony Towns had been dealing with for much of the 2025-26 campaign, but has started coming around because he is simply shooting the ball better. He is averaging 21.1 points on 60% shooting from the field over his last 14 games. Brown’s offense is more reactive than set. This seems to be the byproduct of that, in which some considerable contributors look like non-factors at times. But the stress of an ineffective Bridges is starting to put a strain on New York’s lineup, particularly Jalen Brunson. With Bridges struggling and reserve guard Jose Alvarado experiencing a downturn, too, Brunson averaged 38 minutes per night over the Knicks’ previous five games before getting a bit of relief during Wednesday’s 17-point win over Utah. That was the heaviest workload in the NBA during that stretch, and one that the franchise is all too familiar with under the previous regime of Tom Thibodeau. It was under that burden that the Knicks ultimately ran out of gas in each of their previous two playoff runs.Joe Pantorno has been the executive sports editor of amNewYork since 2020. He covers the New York Mets and is a member of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America . He is also a member of the Pro Hockey Writers’ Association and has covered the New York Islanders for nearly a decade. His previous stops include Bleacher Report and Metro New York, while his work has been featured in the New York Post, Newsday, and Yahoo! Sports.Knicks show returning mojo in win over Bulls even as offense continues to come into focus under BrownFIRST 100 DAYS: Mayor hosts FIFA President for World Cup talks; attends ‘rental ripoff hearing’ Hochul doesn’t rule out another gas tax ‘holiday,’ but would prefer feds provide relief for soaring fuel pricesMother of Queens man shot by police during mental health crisis tearfully begs Queens DA to drop charges: ‘Our lives are changed forever’St. John’s, Providence Set for Heated Big East Tournament Rubber Matchhis much younger wife Mother of Queens man shot by police during mental health crisis tearfully begs Queens DA to drop charges: ‘Our lives are changed forever’
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