What’s wrong with Mikal Bridges? That is the question that many in the NBA world are asking. The York Knicks’ first offseason acquisitions went 0-for-10 from beyond the arc in the team’s preseason finale against the Washington Wizards on Friday night.
Bridges is a career-high 37.5% shooter from downtown, and because in his rookie season he has never shot worse than 36.1%. While his 3-point attempts have increased, he has remained efficient. Last season, he had a career-high 37.2% on 7.2 attempts, based on the game with the Brooklyn Nets.
However, when he returned to the court before his first season with the Knicks, there were concerns about what appeared to be an unused issue with his shot. It was illuminated by the sun for photography and video game exercises. Even Minnesota Timberwolves reserve Anthony Edwards was very surprised that closer Bridges took a long shot during their preseason game on October 13.
Bridges’ early outings were solid enough that his penniless shooting didn’t end up in a cover story, but his 0-for-10 finish against the Wizards thrust him into the spotlight. In four preseason games, he shot two of nineteen three-point attempts.
Speaking to the media on Friday, he said he was changing his ways.
“Ever since I came into the league, I’ve been trying to fix it when I was in college,” Bridges mentioned. “So it’s been seven years of every day.
“When I got out of school, I tweaked it a little bit. And after my second time in the league, I had the problem and I’ve been trying to rebuild from that ever since. So I’m just looking to do well. Good. -Looking at it a lot.”
Age Bridges has never had the smoothest shot, he’s always been fertile, and that’s what matters most. It has been particularly notable in catch-and-shoot alternatives. He took a game-high 5.6 catch-and-shoot 3-pointers, which was the seventh-most in the league, and shot 38.4%. Among players with at least that many attempts, he was the third most efficient. And that was once against the Nets, who weren’t great. There were disagreements about why worry about his opportunity entering this season when he expects to have more, and better, opportunities playing alongside Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Cities.
It’s still a little early for panic seasons, but this is a situation to watch out for early in the season. Bridges becoming an unreliable shooter is also a real thing for the Knicks, who gave up five first-round picks to get him this summer.
