MIKAL Bridges

Last season, in 2025-26, Bridges played all 82 games for the Knicks. He averaged 32.8 minutes, 14.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists. He added 1.3 steals and 0.8 blocks. He turned the ball over only 1.0 time per game. His shooting was steady: 49.0 percent from the field, 37.1 percent from three and 82.7 percent at the line. His true shooting mark was 58.7. His usage rate was 17.0, which is low for a starter playing that many minutes. He finished with a +3.6 plus-minus. Those numbers describe a reliable piece of the lineup. He scored without needing the ball much, and he never missed a game.

The October results have not looked like last season. On Oct. 5 against Philadelphia, Bridges had 3 points in 15.1 minutes, a -8.0, in a loss. On Oct. 8 against Washington, he scored 2 points with 3 assists in 20.1 minutes in another loss. On Oct. 12 against Minnesota, he had 9 points in 21.7 minutes, a -6.0, and the Knicks lost again. His best night came Oct. 15 against Toronto: 14 points and 4 rebounds in 29.6 minutes in a win, though he finished at -17.0. On Oct. 20 against Philadelphia, he played 33.0 minutes and scored only 4 points, with a -15.0, in a loss.

Bridges is not on the injury report right now. He did appear on it briefly in October. On Oct. 13 he was listed as day-to-day, with the reason given as rest and other. On Oct. 15 he was cleared, and he played that night against Toronto. That was his highest-scoring game of the month. The listing does not point to a lingering problem. After an 82-game season, a rest designation is not a warning sign by itself. He played 33.0 minutes in his most recent game, which shows the staff is not limiting him. Fans should watch his minutes, not the injury report.

Bridges' last meaningful stretch before this fall came in June against San Antonio. The Knicks won four of those games. On June 3 he had 9 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists, a +11.0. On June 5 he had his best line: 20 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists in 40.9 minutes, a +7.0. On June 8, in a loss, he scored 2 points with 5 rebounds but still posted a +11.0. On June 10 he had 7 points in 28.1 minutes. On June 13 he scored 14 points with 4 assists in 38.6 minutes, a +6.0, in a win. His impact in those games went beyond scoring.

Bridges' name was part of an Oct. 8 item titled "Knicks Notes: Bridges, Reserves, 14th Man, More." The headline puts him alongside questions about the bench and the back end of the roster. No move involving him has been reported, and nothing in that item should be read as done. For now, he is a Knicks starter-level wing coming off a full season. The more pressing story is on the floor. His October plus-minus numbers have been negative in every game, from -1.0 to -17.0. New York needs the version of Bridges who shot 49.0 percent last season, and it needs him soon.