Mar 1, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Mikal Bridges (25) warms up before a game against the San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Mikal Bridges Killing Knicks With Inconsistency

Originally posted on New York Knicks on SI
By Jayesh Pagar | Last updated Mar 9, 2026 11:40 AM ET

The New York Knicks are a team with genuine playoff ambitions, but one player keeps standing in the way of real momentum: Mikal Bridges. Game after game, Knicks fans are never quite sure which version of Bridges will show up.

The forward, who cost New York five first-round picks, has been one of the most frustrating stories of the 2025-26 season. He is not bad every night, but his inability to be reliable is becoming a real problem.

On March 8 in the game versus the Los Angeles Lakers, Bridges put up one of the most alarming stat lines of his Knicks career. He finished with zero points on 0-of-6 shooting, including 0-of-4 from three, in 27 minutes.

He picked up his first foul just 15 seconds into the game, spent most of the second half on the bench due to foul trouble, and was completely benched in the fourth quarter as the Knicks lost 110-97.

Bridges Cannot Find a Middle Ground

New York Knicks guard Mikal Bridges Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Paying‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ attention to his recent game log, a very obvious pattern becomes visible. Bridges scored 25 points against San Antonio on March 1, then dropped to 11, 15, 9, and eventually 0 points in the next four games. In February, he went from 23 points against Washington to just 5 points against Denver, then 8 against Detroit.

His‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ three-pointer from the corner, which was once a very reliable shot, is fading badly. Instead of taking the ball to the basket, he is going for scoring jumpers, and his success rate for three-point shots has been very up and down from one week to another. And defense, which used to be his strong suit, is now, unfortunately, not something Knicks fans can rely on after all. ‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌

Playoffs Are Close And The Knicks Cannot Afford This

Playoffs‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ are near, so inconsistency is literally a ticking clock. Coach Mike Brown should make some changes to the rotation and hold Bridges accountable on off nights.

One solution is already sitting on the bench. Landry Shamet has been outstanding since the All-Star break, averaging 10.7 points per game. He is shooting 41.1% from deep and has shown up in big moments. Giving Shamet more consistent minutes when Bridges goes cold is not just a good idea at this point, it is necessary.

The Knicks have way too much at stake this season not to let one player's inconsistency wipe out ‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌everything.

This article first appeared on New York Knicks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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