Mikal Bridges glad to be on Knicks after disappointing time with Nets
Mikal Bridges of the Knicks speaks with reporters during Media Day at the Madison Square Garden Training Center on Monday. Credit: James Escher
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Mikal Bridges had experienced nothing but fun and good feelings since the trade from the Nets to the Knicks. He has reunited with college teammates Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart. And after hearing tales of Tom Thibodeau’s fiery work ethic, he is getting to know the coach in casual conversations and news conferences.
Tuesday afternoon, he stood on the edge of the court at The Citadel and, still sounding out of breath, talked about the reality of getting on the floor for the first workout of training camp with the Knicks.
“It was good. I loved the intensity of Thibs,” Bridges said. "Can’t get away with nothing. It was good. He’s holding everyone accountable.
“I feel like before I got here there was more. I get the scare factor, but when I’m around Thibs he cracks me up all the time. I know how serious he is so I never take that into effect. But off the court I can mess with him. He’s a great dude. I love the intensity.
It’s not as bad as people think. I love him as a person, too.”
Winning championships at Villanova and being part of a contending team in Phoenix, made it harder for Bridges to accept what happened last season with the Nets. It was on his shoulders to try to stem the losing and one of his most notable traits is being there every day. Bridges has never missed a game in his NBA career. So he was there every day to absorb the heat. Now, he is a part of it after being paired with Brunson and Hart, but also with Karl-Anthony Towns (once the deal is official) and OG Anunoby.
“He just wants to win,” Brunson said. “He just has that mindset since the day I met him. And the only thing that’s changed is how much better he’s gotten as a player. He’s still the same person, still works very hard and just a better player than he was when we first got together. So he’s going to continue to grow."
So did it feel a little like those days back at Villanova winning titles under Jay Wright?
“No,” Brunson deadpanned. “Usually coach Wright was [expletive] us at some point.”
It would seem to be a new Thibodeau if that wasn’t happening Tuesday. Even if he was trying to catch his breath, Bridges was smiling. He's happy to be a part of a team where he can take the roles he’s developed over the years and apply it to what he and others believe will be a contending team again.
After his apprenticeship with Phoenix, in Brooklyn last season he was tasked with being the focal point of the team. Bridges said his performance was not what he wanted and the result was a 32-50 record and two coaches fired,.
After averaging 26.1 points in 27 games following his trade to Brooklyn two seasons ago, he averaged 19.1 points per game last season as defenses focused on him.
“The beginning, yeah it was tough in Brooklyn,” Bridges said. “[We were] losing. Even personally, I think I didn't handle it as well as I could. I always preach mental toughness and never losing your spirit. But it was just something I never dealt with like that. And I think it was just a lot just for that team in general when I was there.
. . . But coming here, I mean, it's good. everybody's locked in and everybody's motivated and coach Thibs got everybody locked in. So it's great to be here.”
Notes & quotes: Towns was still not able to practice with the Knicks Tuesday as they tried to put the finishing touches on the math of the trade with Minnesota, which was expected to be completed before the Wednesday workout. Daquan Jeffries, Charlie Brown Jr. and Duane Washington will go to Charlotte in sign-and-trade deals, along with three second-round picks (two from the Knicks, one from Minnesota) and cash considerations while the Knicks will receive the draft rights to Charlotte’s James Nnaji . . . Mitchell Robinson remained in New York to rehab at the team’s practice facility. “I think that’s all part of an NBA season,” Thibodeau said of being unable to have Towns on the floor. “You deal with the people that you have. There’s going to be foul trouble, there’s going to be injuries, illness, things that come up, and then that next guy has to be ready to get in there and get the job done. So whatever our circumstances are, we’re going to make the most of them. So it gives us a chance to get a look at some different combinations in camp earlier than anticipated. I want to look at the positive in it.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
