Sometimes the season shifts on a single play, and the Knicks felt that reality hit hard on Wednesday night. Jalen Brunson’s rolled right ankle ended the game on a somber note, leaving the team staring at a stretch of basketball without the player who drives their entire offense. The Knicks can survive it, but only if the supporting cast elevates in a meaningful way.
A heavy responsibility now falls on Mikal Bridges
The obvious focal point becomes Mikal Bridges, the newly extended swingman who now steps into the largest responsibility of his Knicks career. New York didn’t hand him four years and $150 million to blend in. They extended him here to change the team’s ceiling, and this is the moment where that investment needs to show immediate returns.
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Bridges has opened the season by leaning into the defensive side of the ball. His activity, positioning, and anticipation have all been sharper, and it’s clear he’s buying into the structure the Knicks are building. That part of his game has always been strong, but the Knicks need far more than his on-ball pressure now.
Offensively, Bridges is averaging 15.6 points, 4.9 assists, and 4.5 rebounds. The scoring number is light, but the efficiency isn’t. He’s shooting .520 from the field and .450 from deep, a combination that shows the touch is there whenever he decides to use it.
That last part is what matters. He’s going to have to use it a lot more.
Why Bridges’ role demands a serious offensive jump
Brunson’s absence removes a massive chunk of the Knicks’ shot creation. He was not only their best scorer but their most consistent initiator, generating opportunities that made life easier for everyone else on the floor. Without him, possessions grow slower and defenses grow bolder. Someone has to break that pattern.
Bridges has the tools to do it. He’s shown he can create off the dribble in space. He can work out of pick-and-roll sets. He’s capable of attacking mismatches without needing a full runway to get downhill. Those skills simply need to surface more often, because the Knicks need someone who can force defenses to shift and scramble.
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The team doesn’t need Bridges to replicate Brunson’s volume, but they do need him to expand his own. More shot attempts. More self-creation. More possessions where he initiates instead of waiting in rhythm spots.
This is the runway for him to become the top option he occasionally flashed in past stops but has never been fully asked to embrace.
Spreading the workload will be essential for the Knicks
Even with Bridges’ role primed for a jump, the Knicks can’t expect one player to replace what Brunson provides. The production needs to be spread out. Secondary playmakers need to be more decisive. Shooters need to be ready earlier in possessions. The Knicks may have to rely on more motion and quicker actions to avoid stagnation.
Still, Bridges feels like the pivot point. If he steps into this moment and elevates with confidence, the Knicks can stay afloat until Brunson returns. If he stays passive, the offense risks slipping into long, inefficient stretches that put too much strain on their defense to hold games together.
This is the kind of adversity that reveals what a team is made of. The coming weeks will show whether the Knicks can maintain their identity without the player who defines so much of it.