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Karl-Anthony Towns Defends Embattled Knicks Teammate

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Sean Deveney | Last updated May 3, 2025 3:25 PM ET

Going by the numbers, at least, the Knicks have gotten pretty much everything they could have expected out of wing Mikal Bridges. He averaged 17.6 points this season, making 50.0% of his shots and 35.4% of his 3-pointers. But it was how he got there--with some wild inconsistency in his shot and more lax defense than advertised--that has caused him to mostly land on the bad side of the Knicks faithful.

And the price the Knicks paid to bring him to New York, five first-round picks, will forever be attached to him, too.

Bridges got off to a weak start in his playoff career in New York, too, struggling with his shooting in the first five games of the Knicks' series against the Pistons. He shot just 42.6% from the floor and 33.3% from the 3-point line in those games.

In Game 6, the clincher of the series, Bridges was excellent, though. He made 11-of-16 shots for 25 points in that one. After that game, teammate Karl-Anthony Towns was asked about the pressure Bridges has been under, especially with the five-pick price tag looming over him.

"Picks, whatever, you're still playing for the New York Knicks. It comes with a different pressure than any other organization and place in the world."

Karl-Anthony Towns talks about Mikal Bridges' transition to the Knicks and how he's handled pressure: pic.twitter.com/NGMZe9aXlJ
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"Picks, whatever, you're still playing for the New York Knicks," Towns said. "It comes with a different pressure than any other organization or place in the world. But I think he has done a great job of just trusting us and believing in us, and I think the team has done a great job of rallying around each other, not just him. Insitilling confidence in each other, comforting each other, with the ebbs and flows of the season.

"Mikal has done exactly what he is supposed to do. He's been in the gym, he has put the work in, we have all seen him put the work in. So we have nothing but belief in his skill set, his talent, and his mentality."

The Knicks were able to weather the storm against Detroit, but things figure to get much more difficult now that they face the defending champion Boston Celtics. That series will begin on Monday night in Boston.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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