The New York Knicks are expected to contend for the NBA championship soon after reloading their roster with the acquisition of Mikal Bridges. According to ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins, this move is similar to Jrue Holiday joining the Boston Celtics last offseason.
“Look, he could be what Jrue Holiday is for the Boston Celtics. That’s how elite this young man is on both ends of the floor,” Perkins said. “We saw it when Phoenix made that run with Devin Booker and CP3 to the NBA Finals, and just remember a couple seasons ago he averaged 26 points, and I know he only played in about 27 games, but still I’m to the point now where I don’t even look at Mikal Bridges as a role player.”
“He’s a guy that’s an All-Star caliber player, and I think that was the best addition this offseason, plus he’s a Tom Thibodeau type of guy,” he added.
Bridges is only one of the few notable moves the New York Knicks completed this offseason, as they re-signed Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, and Precious Achiuwa to new contracts and added Keita Bates-Diop, Cameron Payne, and Landry Shamet to improve their bench.
Why getting Mikal Bridges moves the needle for the New York Knicks
Chemistry will not be a problem for the New York Knicks, as Mikal Bridges, Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo, and Josh Hart have all played together at Villanova, and Julius Randle’s return from shoulder surgery should also help them overall.
Having Bridges, Anunoby, DiVincenzo, and Hart is perfect for Tom Thibodeau’s defense-first approach. It also helps that Bridges rarely misses games.
Mikal Bridges played 82 regular season games in 2023-24, averaging 19.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game on 43.6 percent shooting from the field. He should be playing a similar role to what he had with the Phoenix Suns instead of being the main man on offense.
