Mikal Bridges recently signed with the New York Knicks after spending just one year with the Brooklyn Nets. While it will be a new experience for the 27-year-old, he’ll have a lot of familiar faces in the Knicks camp to make this transition easy for him. He also got a few notes on how to adjust to a new locker room from seasoned vets in Paul George and Carmelo Anthony when he appeared on Podcast P.
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When asked how Bridges, who had assumed a leadership role on the Nets would adjust to the many personalities in the Knicks roster, PG said that a good leader allows new players ample time to adjust to the setup they’ve been traded into. Here, the onus would fall on the Knicks’ Jalen Brunson to accommodate his college teammate, as he has been the leader of the New York side for a while now.
After that, Melo took the advice further by saying, “You know what everybody does. Like, I know if I’m going to OKC, I have the idea of what the f**k I’m going to be doing…This is what I’m going to bring. So, when you step in there, you already know what time it is.” The NBA veteran stated that even in a new setup, an experienced player is expected to be himself because that’s the strength that he’ll add to the team.
So, as per the opinion of two men who have spent decades in the league, being aware of the new setup and willing to learn more about it is the way to go. As for Bridges and the Knicks, he will not feel completely out of place because he has been teammates with some of the best players on the Knicks roster during his time with the Villanova Wildcats.
Bridges and the ‘Villanova Knicks’ are a tight-knit squad already
The Knicks will be Bridges’ third team in the league after the Phoenix Suns and the Brooklyn Nets. So, it’s safe to assume that he has some experience of his own on how to navigate a new locker room. Fortunately for him, the Knicks locker room will not be as unfamiliar as his previous ones because he already has a good relationship with Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Donte DiVincenzo.
All three Knicks stars are former Villanova athletes. Bridges, DiVincenzo, and Brunson won two NCAA Championships together on the Wildcats. Hart, a couple years their senior, joined the college team early in 2013 and won one NCAA title with the squad in 2016 before declaring for the NBA draft.
