A lot of the talk heading into the Knicks’ first-round series against the Pistons has been about Mikal Bridges’ defense on Cade Cunningham. But it’s his offense that could be the X factor in this series.
The Knicks traded for Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns in part to help take the load off Jalen Brunson after he scored 40-plus points in five playoff games last year — and they needed every bit of it while feeling the strain of a depleted roster.
Offensively, Bridges has had a weird season with the Knicks.
He’s been streaky from deep, shooting an underwhelming 35.4 percent, his lowest clip from 3-point range since his rookie season.
Bridges has only shot 30.5 percent on 3s above the key in comparison to 42.5 percent from the corners, according to NBA.com.
Bridges didn’t put much pressure on the rim, either. Despite leading the NBA in minutes played, Bridges only attempted 118 free throws — or 1.4 per game.
Nevertheless, Bridges was one of the most efficient midrange shooters in the NBA this season.
The analytics say it’s tough to win games with those attempts making up a heavy section of a player’s shot diet. Bridges, though, believes otherwise, especially when it comes to the playoffs.
“It’s tougher to get to the rim, it’s tougher to get 3s off, and it’s just like so much of the court left,” Bridges said Thursday. “It’s not just the rim and the 3. You pay guys a lot of money to protect the rim and stuff like that. So it’s like going into their habitat if you’re just willing to go in there while they’re waiting for you. … Being a three-level scorer — being able to get to the rim, being able to get to a midrange shot if everything is packed up and they guard it there, or they’re all in the paint, shooting the 3. So I think that is a big part, especially in the playoffs, too.”
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Attacking the rim against a young Pistons team that’s racked up the league’s fourth-most fouls this season may be beneficial to the Knicks.
Getting players into foul trouble and rattled could be detrimental to a team made up of playoff first-timers.
With all the attention on Brunson, Bridges should have opportunities for catch-and-shoot 3s.
The Knicks will need to shoot more 3s in the playoffs than they did in the regular season, when they ranked 27th in attempts.
Bridges has shown the ability to be a high-volume and efficient 3-point shooter in the past.
The Knicks may need that version of Bridges now more than ever.