At the end of the 2021/22 season, Mikal Bridges finished in second place in the votes for “Defensive Player of The Year” in the NBA, a few points behind Marcus Smart. The winger was then the Suns' first defensive blade, and everyone praised his ability to hinder the opposing ball carrier, without committing any fouls.
His time in Brooklyn had made him lose his offensive effectiveness, and it was especially the evolution of his shooting skills that was worrying. On the defensive side, on the other hand, we thought he would bring certainty to the Knicks.
The player who has to fight the most screens in the NBA
Problem: after 25 games, it is mainly defensively that New York fans are now worried about. Because Mikal Bridges does not provide at all the defense on the opposing ball carrier that one could imagine. Worse, he is directly targeted by opposing attackers, who involve him in as many screens as possible…
As detailed by ESPN at the beginning of December, he must fight 25 opposing screens per match, which places him well at the top of the category. For a very simple reason, he is almost systematically late, which leaves opposing leaders a lot of space to create something. Like Trae Young on this layup!
We could repeat the examples on a lot of actions and this is clearly not unrelated to the defensive problems of the Knicks, who are the 2nd best offense in the league (120.2 points scored on 100 possessions) but who are only the 17th defense (113.7 points conceded over 100 possessions). Especially since without a real protector of the circle behind him, since this is not the strength of Karl-Anthony Towns, the ability of Mikal Bridges and the other outsiders to prevent the ball carrier from entering the racket is absolutely crucial .
The question is how can a player who almost became “DPOY” because he was a leading defensive first blade now be a problem, precisely in this area?
A “back” defender who no longer compensates
For some, Mikal Bridges was until now overestimated in his defense on the ball carrier, his physique not allowing him to “break” screens like Lu Dort, for example. Overall, he would have chased his opponents all his career… which is not totally false, but what he compensated for very well until now.
Even if the data dates from November 6, and Mikal Bridges is therefore perhaps no longer the worst player for “navigating in front of screens”, he is undoubtedly not far from it, and this graph above all illustrates very well that In recent years he was statistically considered very good in this particular area.
In Phoenix, he was already defending “from the back” after the screens, but the leader Rayan Resch rightly highlighted its ability to compensate, through its scale, to hinder opponents without making a mistake.
Physical decline? Too much playing time?
“He almost envelops (the players) when he defends on the ball and puts pressure on the body, without using his hands, holding on to the opponent. He can slide his hips to accommodate those hand-to-hands and screens. He really uses the framework he has to do all of this.”
The difference is that Mikal Bridges is no longer glued to his players, and he therefore bothers them much less.
Is this linked to a physical decline, when he has still not missed a match in his career? Is this linked to his playing time (38.3 minutes on average), higher than ever? In any case, it is a problem, because it generates chain problems, and above all it is too easy for the Knicks' opponents to get good shots.
