following the team\u2019s 113-108 win over the Hornets <\/a>on Friday night at Madison Square Garden in the preseason finale. That \u201cnext-play speed\u201d represents his \u201cunbelievable\u201d ability to immediately transition to defense after an offensive possession ends or goes awry.\u00a0<\/p>\n\u201cIf a turnover happens or an offensive rebound happens, he does not hesitate [or] take an extra step in the opposite direction of the ball,\u201d Brown said. \u201cRight away, his change of direction and the flip of the switch from offense to defense is amazing. Probably one of the best I\u2019ve been around. For him to get a couple of blocks the way he did, that\u2019s just a testament to what he can do defensively.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope everybody is watching those small things that don\u2019t always show up in the stat sheet. He\u2019s a first-team all-defender. It\u2019s evident. There\u2019s no question in my mind what he does out on the floor. It\u2019s a lot of the little things that he does that I hope don\u2019t go unnoticed.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mikal Bridges shoots a jumper during the Knicks\u2019 win over the Hornets in their preseason finale on Oct. 17, 2025. JASON SZENES\/ NY POST<\/p>\n
It has been a focal point throughout training camp and the preseason. Brown is in the midst of transforming the Knicks offense into one that is much faster and free-flowing, one that is constantly looking to push the pace with a priority on ball movement over isolation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That, naturally, will likely lead to an increase in turnovers, especially as the Knicks adjust. Quickly pivoting to defense will be paramount.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Besides Bridges, Brown was not satisfied with his team in that regard Friday. He saw his players sulk and put their heads down after turnovers and missed shots, leading to easy 3-pointers or foul shots for the Hornets on the other end.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe emphasize it more,\u201d Bridges said. \u201cHe got me really forgetting the [last] play and getting back, getting the whole team on that. That\u2019s how it\u2019s supposed to be. He\u2019s encouraging it every single day, putting pressure on us to do it every single time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s charting it, getting on us when we\u2019re not doing it. Listening to him, he\u2019s pushing us to the next level.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mikal Bridges shoots a fadeaway during the Knicks\u2019 preseason win over the Hornets. JASON SZENES\/ NY POST<\/p>\n
Bridges is the model, but Brown has also looked to other sports to get his message across. One example came from the NFL, when then-Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf chased down Cardinals safety Budda Baker after an interception during a 2021 game. Baker had picked off Russell Wilson\u2019s pass near his own end zone and looked to have a clear path in front of him for a pick-six. But Metcalf, without hesitation, began sprinting after Baker down the field and eventually caught him to prevent a touchdown.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When most receivers would have taken their foot off the gas, Metcalf only accelerated. The same needs to be true for the Knicks in defensive transitions.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou always admire things like that,\u201d Bridges said. \u201cYou got a lot of guys that want to do it anyway. Him emphasizing it, we need it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mikal Bridges makes a jumping pass during the Knicks\u2019 preseason win over the Hornets. JASON SZENES\/ NY POST<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not just Bridges\u2019 \u201cnext-play speed\u201d that has stood out this preseason. Brown\u2019s offensive system is one that should accentuate Bridges\u2019 strengths and bring out the best of him. With Jalen Brunson playing less in isolation and more off-the-ball, it should get the Knicks\u2019 periphery scorers more involved. Instead of being relegated to a largely catch-and-shoot 3-point shooter in the corners, Bridges should have more opportunities as a ball-handler to attack the rim and get to the midrange in transitions and with the defense off-balance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWhat\u2019s happening on and off the Garden court\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSign up for Inside the Knicks by Stefan Bondy, a weekly exclusive on Sports+.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\tThank you\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
In four preseason games, Bridges played 23.1 minutes a game and averaged 12.8 points on 50 percent shooting from the field and 35 percent from 3-point range. Expanded out to a full workload, those numbers would certainly be optimal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After an incredibly up-and-down first season with the Knicks, they are betting that there is another level for Bridges to reach, giving him a four-year, $150 million extension<\/a>. So far, the early returns are promising.\u00a0<\/p>\n\u201cI feel more at home,\u201d Bridges said. \u201cEverybody being here, being in this arena, being around all you guys, it feels like home. It\u2019s good.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Mikal Bridges is the standard Mike Brown is imploring the rest of his Knicks roster to mimic.\u00a0 The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":224025,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[557],"tags":[64,63,12834,15566,590,1666,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-224024","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nba","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-mikal-bridges","11":"tag-mike-brown","12":"tag-nba","13":"tag-new-york-knicks","14":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224024","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=224024"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224024\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/224025"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=224024"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=224024"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=224024"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}