The New York Knicks’ title hopes are slipping, and Mikal Bridges is a big reason why. New York traded a historic haul for him to be a reliable two-way force, but over the last month, he has been far too quiet to justify that belief. When Bridges fades, the entire Knicks offense feels the impact.
**Mikal Bridges has gone quiet at the worst time**
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Bridges has scored 20 points just once in the past month, a game against the Golden State Warriors. Before that, you have to go back to December 21 against the Miami Heat to find another.
In several games during that stretch, he has barely left a mark offensively. For a team already searching for rhythm [under Mike Brown’s system](https://dailyknicks.com/knicks-rotation-advantage-finally-back-in-play), that lack of aggression has been costly.
The price the Knicks paid makes this impossible to ignore. New York and the Brooklyn Nets completed their first trade with each other since 1983, and it was massive. The Knicks sent Bojan Bogdanovic, five first-round picks, a first-round pick swap, and a second-round selection to the Nets for Bridges.
That kind of move demands more than quiet nights and modest box scores.
Bridges picking it up could flip the script for New York
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Bridges’ availability has never been the issue. He remains one of the league’s true ironmen, having never missed an NBA game. In a season where injuries have piled up across the roster, that reliability matters. But durability alone was never the goal. The Knicks needed a player who could influence games on both ends, especially when others were unavailable.
This season, Bridges is averaging just 15.8 points per game, his lowest mark since the 2021–22 season. The drop is noticeable. When he plays with assertiveness, the Knicks look organized and balanced. When he does not, the offense slows, defensive pressure on others increases, and the margin for error shrinks. Even his defense, long considered his calling card, has been inconsistent.
The timing is brutal. Karl-Anthony [Towns has struggled recently](https://dailyknicks.com/knicks-karl-anthony-towns-problem-should-have-seen-coming), the Knicks are 3–7 in their last ten games, and a team projected to sit near the top of the Eastern Conference is now just 2.5 games from the play-in tournament. Injuries have opened the door for Bridges to carry stretches of offense. He has not done it.
The Knicks do not need Bridges to be a superstar every night. They do need him to matter. And until he does, New York’s championship aspirations will continue to feel more fragile by the game.