Late in a first-round NBA playoff Game 6 last month, as Detroit Pistons veteran Tobias Harris prepared to shoot from the left wing, he noticed New York Knicks wing Mikal Bridges closing in fast. This forced Harris to abandon the shot and drive towards the basket.
However, as Harris drove, hoping to finish the play with a dunk, OG Anunoby was already there, meeting him at the rim and blocking the shot. Knicks guard Josh Hart quickly secured the loose ball and fired an outlet pass up the court to Bridges.
In transition, Bridges faced two defenders – Cade Cunningham ahead and Malik Beasley trailing from the left. He took two strong dribbles and elevated, finishing the play with a powerful left-handed dunk over Cunningham`s contesting arm at Little Caesars Arena.
Play-by-play announcer Ian Eagle exclaimed, “`That`s a man`s jam!`” as Bridges completed the dunk. Bridges himself added to the moment, shouting and pumping his fist in celebration before quickly transitioning back to defense.
This entire sequence – Bridges` initial defense, Anunoby`s block, and Bridges` subsequent dunk – perfectly illustrated the Knicks` intended role for this versatile duo: elite two-way players capable of defending multiple positions and providing valuable floor spacing, particularly from the corners, to complement Jalen Brunson.
The acquisition of the 28-year-old Bridges and 27-year-old Anunoby involved significant costs and potential risks. To get Bridges, New York traded five first-round picks to the Brooklyn Nets in an uncommon crosstown trade last July. Just under two weeks prior, the Knicks re-signed Anunoby to a five-year, $212 million contract – the largest in franchise history – after initially acquiring him from the Toronto Raptors last season in exchange for RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley. Some analysts questioned the high price in draft assets and salary cap commitment for two players who had not yet achieved All-Star status.
The Knicks now find themselves with their most promising opportunity in 25 years to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. A significant factor in their successful, often late-game-decided playoff journey has been Bridges and Anunoby`s ability to challenge opposing star scorers. However, following a difficult Game 5 loss where the Celtics offense, even without Jayson Tatum, exposed the Knicks` defense, including Bridges and Anunoby, New York will require exceptional performances from their key two-way wings in Game 6.
It`s a familiar sight to see Mikal Bridges, known as the league`s ironman for starting his career with 556 consecutive games played, sitting at his locker with large ice packs secured to both knees.
He certainly needed the ice on December 11th, after the Knicks lost to the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA Cup quarterfinals. In that game, Bridges was screened a remarkable 50 times, the highest number any NBA player faced all season.
Prior to joining the Knicks, Bridges was the Defensive Player of the Year runner-up in 2022 and was typically assigned to guard the opposition`s top wing threats, including superstars like Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and Jayson Tatum.
In his first season with New York, coach Tom Thibodeau utilized Bridges primarily as the point-of-attack defender, aiming to reduce the defensive workload on Jalen Brunson, who offensively handled the ball more than any other NBA player this season.
By January, Bridges was encountering an average of 25 screens per game, a frequency exceeding any player recorded in the league`s database over the past 13 years.
Adding to the difficulty, the Knicks were also adapting to Karl-Anthony Towns as their primary interior defender, a change from his previous role alongside elite rim protector Rudy Gobert in Minnesota. Consequently, opponents actively challenged New York`s new defensive personnel.
This offensive strategy against the Knicks largely proved effective. Through November, New York`s defense was ranked 21st league-wide. Even after showing significant improvement and benefiting from a less challenging December schedule, they only climbed to 15th, a notable decline from their ninth-place ranking the previous season.
These adjustments also impacted Bridges` offensive production. In a 16-game period from November 1st to December 1st, he attempted only six free throws in total, a sharp contrast to his average of nearly four per game last season with the Nets. His integration seemed less smooth than OG Anunoby`s, who appeared to be a seamless fit after arriving from Toronto in December 2023.
“It takes time,” Jalen Brunson commented on Bridges` season recently. “It`s comparable to rookies. Some players excel early, while others develop and improve later. You can`t predict when that key moment will occur. …
…Having known him for a long time, I never truly doubted him.”
However, Bridges consistently showed signs of developing greater comfort, including a 41-point game against the San Antonio Spurs. He also demonstrated the clutch, defensive plays that would later secure comeback victories in Games 1 and 2 versus the Celtics, having previously recorded buzzer-beating blocks to clinch wins against the Nets and Hawks, and a crucial block on Nikola Vucevic in a February game against the Bulls that forced overtime.
Crucially, Bridges and Anunoby experienced an offensive breakthrough, catalyzed by Brunson`s late-season ankle sprain. This change in circumstances allowed the duo to reveal a higher level of scoring ability. If they can perform at this level during critical moments, it could elevate New York`s prospects beyond initial expectations.
When Jalen Brunson suffered a severe ankle sprain against the Los Angeles Lakers, sidelining him for 15 games, the question of who would guide the Knicks` offense arose immediately.
Backup point guard Miles McBride was also injured, and third-stringer Cameron Payne soon followed. While Karl-Anthony Towns is a skilled passing center, he typically benefits from having someone else initiate the offense. Josh Hart can trouble defenses, but he`s primarily a secondary ball-handler.
In the standard Brunson-led offense, Bridges and Anunoby had clearly defined primary roles: they were the league`s most frequent shooters of corner three-pointers this season, attempting 219 and 216 respectively.
Facing a lack of primary playmakers, Bridges took on more ball-handling duties and significantly improved his midrange shooting, finishing the season at 50.7%, ranking third among high-volume shooters in the NBA. His scoring increased from 17 points per game before Brunson`s injury to 20.5 during the guard`s absence. This period appears to have boosted Bridges` confidence as a scorer, particularly late in games when Brunson is resting.
OG Anunoby demonstrated an even more significant scoring improvement, increasing his average from 16.5 to nearly 23 points per game while also becoming more efficient.
“Our style of play naturally emphasizes Jalen and KAT,” Josh Hart commented. “I believe there are moments when we could involve OG and Mikal more. I always knew OG was capable of making shots, including midrange and step-backs, even last year. However, I feel he elevated his scoring significantly when Jalen was out.”
“The NBA is very dependent on the situation,” Hart added, “because he`s definitely capable of big scoring performances, but sometimes the opportunity doesn`t arise. Yet, when he`s needed to score, he consistently steps up.”
Coach Thibodeau, known for his defensive focus, values Bridges and Anunoby most for their defensive impact, especially their ability to shut down opponents late in the many close games the Knicks have played this postseason.
In their clutch minutes (14 total) during the series, the Jayson Tatum- and Jaylen Brown-led Celtics have struggled significantly, shooting just 13% (3-for-23) overall and committing more turnovers than they made baskets. Boston, a team historically reliant on three-pointers, has made only one of their 11 attempts from deep in these late-game situations, a testament to the effectiveness of the Knicks` defensive wings.
“Especially in five-out sets,” Thibodeau explained regarding Bridges and Anunoby, “you need players who can drop back to protect the paint, then quickly extend to defend the three-point line, and then crash the boards after a shot. Their versatility to guard positions 2, 3, and 4 gives us much more flexibility for switching defenses.”
It can be argued that these two forwards are the key indicators for the Knicks` performance against Boston. When both Bridges and Anunoby play well – as they did in the second half of the Game 6 clincher in Detroit, or in the Game 4 win against Boston where they combined for 19 points on 9-for-10 shooting in a crucial fourth quarter – the Knicks become exceptionally difficult to beat.
However, on nights like Game 5, where the Knicks` defense gave up 22 three-pointers and Anunoby and Bridges shot a combined 5-for-26, the scoring responsibility placed on Brunson and Towns is too heavy. If New York can get sufficient production from their wings to eliminate Boston – potentially making them the favorite in the East – the significant draft capital and salary invested in Bridges and Anunoby will be justified, especially considering few expected the Knicks to reach this stage after their regular-season struggles against the Celtics.