Mikal Bridges' shooting woes doom Knicks to 0-3 start

The defending champion New York Knicks have lost their first three games of the season by 19 total points. It hasn't helped that their starting small forward has put up only 10 points all season.

Mikal Bridges is 0-for-10 from three-point range so far this season, and went scoreless in the Knicks' 107-103 loss to the Boston Celtics. It's a big reason the defending champs have the NBA's lowest offensive rating.

Mikal Bridges is crucial for New York Knicks' offense

Last season, Bridges averaged 14.4 points, shot 37.1 percent from three-point range and made 55.6 percent of his shots overall. It was easily the most efficient shooting season of his career, logging an effective field goal percentage of 62 percent. Coach Mike Brown's new offense involved more ball movement and cutting, which played to Bridges' strength.

The Knicks have faced three excellent defensive teams so far, with the Celtics and Orlando Magic among the NBA's best defensive teams for the last few seasons. But that doesn't explain why Bridges looks so passive, averaging only 7.7 attempts per game. Perhaps he and the team sense that his shot is off, as Bridges was benched for much of the second half while shooting 0-for-8 against the Celtics.

They're going to need him, especially when inconsistent shooter Josh Hart is part of the starting lineup. The Knicks do have options with backups Landry Shamet and Jordan Clarkson, but Bridges is a much better defensive player than either. A player making $33.5M this season simply needs to average more than three points.

Mikal Bridges and New York Knicks may be fatigued

The Knicks have had double-digit leads in all three of their losses so far, which may indicate that the team is tired at the end of games. It's understandable, as the team played 19 playoff games, one year after logging 18.

Bridges could be seeing residual effects of the massive workload he's had during his whole career. He's suited up for every game of his nine-year career, which includes 76 playoff games. Bridges led the NBA in minutes played in three of the last five seasons and finished in the top nine in that category six years running.

While he's clearly proud of his iron man streak, perhaps Bridges would benefit from taking a few days off. He'll get a little rest soon, as the Knicks get Saturday and Sunday off for Halloween weekend, then another two-day break Nov. 8-9.

Still, it might be time for the Knicks to force Bridges to sit, streak or no streak. If his shooting remains this bad, he's not helping them win anyway.