Mikal Bridges Averages 19.1 Points in 8-Game Surge as Towns Takes On Knicks Playmaking
Updated
Updated · Daily Knicks · May 24
Mikal Bridges Averages 19.1 Points in 8-Game Surge as Towns Takes On Knicks Playmaking
4 articles · Updated · Daily Knicks · May 24
Eight games after New York fell behind Atlanta 2-1, Mikal Bridges has erupted for 19.1 points per game, shooting 75% inside the arc and 47.9% from three as the Knicks have not lost.
Karl-Anthony Towns sparked that shift by asking coach Mike Brown for more playmaking duties, moving to the top of the floor and pulling his defender out of the paint while Jalen Brunson bends defenses off the ball.
That new spacing has sent Bridges to the basket far more often: 66% of his shots now come in the paint or closer, and he is shooting 85.7% there with Towns on the floor.
Bridges' rim frequency drops to 33.3% without Towns from 43.8% with him, underscoring how Towns' expanded role has fueled the offensive breakout even as Bridges' own aggression and defense remain central.
Can Mikal Bridges sustain his offensive explosion now that the Knicks have altered the very strategy that initially unlocked it?
Was Karl-Anthony Towns' shift to playmaker a temporary fix, or a fundamental evolution in the Knicks' long-term offensive identity?