Mikal Bridges struggled early in the game and, despite having a huge contract, was benched Nix coach Mike Brown during the fourth quarter in three games, SNY’s Ian Begley notes. That includes the Knicks’ win over the Nets on Monday.
“Yeah, he’s just got to keep playing. Everybody goes through those ups and downs during the season, and obviously now the season is starting, so he’s got to find his way.” – said Brown. “Not just with him, but with everybody, when you’re in a funk, you’ve got to find one or two things to keep your hat on. Mikal is one of the best runners in the NBA. Both ways, offensively and defensively. So he’s just got to try to hang his hat on that, and cutting and trying to do the other little things — rebound and drive, touch the paint and spray it. Then that shot comes out. after all.”
Bridges, who averaged 14.4 points last season, is averaging 6.1 points on 30.8 percent shooting. He shot 1-for-7 from the field against Brooklyn.
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Josh Hart won’t suit up for Wednesday’s game against Chicago. He was ruled out with a sore ankle, per James Edwards III of The Athletic tweets. Hart has started all seven games this season, averaging 31.7 minutes per game.
- Aside from Bridges, all the starters have logged a lot of minutes. Brown aims to change that in the short term, Stefan Bondi of the New York Post writes. Brown used 12 players against the Nets. “I wanted to use a 10-man rotation. There were a few games I think I went to nine.” he said. “I hate to say it – I want to win, I’m going to try to win, but I’m not going to do it to the detriment of our group going forward. So, I have to find a balance of how best to use my bench to give these guys more necessary rest during the game, so they’re not at 35, 36, 37 minutes right now. I thought that helped us a lot last year. We’ll increase their minutes this year, I’m not very good with that.”
- Resigned Jordan Clarkson to a one-year, minimum veteran contract this summer, and it looks like a smart investment. Clarkson scored 18 points against Chicago and provided a spark with seven points in 11 minutes against the Nets. Moreover, Clarkson is ready to do whatever is asked of him. “A lot of (his minutes) are based on feel,” Brown said, trans Edwards. “What makes him so unique and obviously I’ve been a part of teams that have those types of players and those teams usually have success. You have a veteran who’s been there and done that and he’s willing to accept a role that most guys wouldn’t take, even guys that are younger and haven’t proven as much as he’s proven in this league. He’s the ultimate team player. I’ll say this about (Clarkson): I’ve been around some good teammates when when it comes to players, he should be the best professional.
