There’s been palpable excitement about the Knicks’ future since they traded for former Nets star Mikal Bridges. The forward is an exceptional two-way player and the kind of talent that would help the franchise close the gap on the Celtics superteam. While there’s little doubt about his ability, some fans are concerned about the mechanics of his jump shot.
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A video of Bridges practicing his three-point shot during the Knicks’ practice is going viral on social media. In the clip posted by the team’s beat writer Kristian Winfield, fans noticed that the forward’s shooting motion is slightly clunky and cumbersome.
He uses a two-motion approach, bringing the ball as high as possible above his head. His set point is almost behind his head and as he releases the ball, there seems to be a bit of a hitch. His shot looked even more awkward because his teammate Landry Shamet was shooting alongside him with a crisp one-shot motion.
Mikal Bridges and Landry Shamet getting shots up together on Day 1 of #Knicks training camp. Cam Payne videobombs towards the end pic.twitter.com/zM89rrWNyo
— Kristian Winfield (@Krisplashed) October 1, 2024
Some Knicks fans expressed concerns after watching Bridges’ jump-shooting mechanics. One fan wrote,
“Mikal’s shot is messin with me”
Mikal’s shot is messin with me
— Mat Kaplan (@KaplanMatanel) October 1, 2024
Another fan remarked how awkward his shooting motion looked but claimed they were fine with it as long as he banked the shot. They wrote,
“Wow, Mikal has a very weird stroke on that shot. But if it works…”
Wow, Mikal has a very weird stroke on that shot. But if it works…
— Bill Kelly, Jr. (@Kellyjrbill) October 1, 2024
One fan noted that it wasn’t his regular shooting motion, writing,
“nah mikal shot wtf did he do to it this offseason cuz it was not that ugly and stuff last year“
nah mikal shot wtf did he do to it this offseason cuz it was not that ugly and stuff last year
— 27 (@SklzMuse) October 1, 2024
However, upon examination, it’s clear that Bridges has used the same mechanics since the start of his career. Despite his inelegant shooting motion, he is a respectable three-point shooter.
Last season, he banked a career-high 2.7 triples per game on 37.2% shooting. His shooting percentage might see a slight uptick with the Knicks in the upcoming campaign.
New York has a slew of reliable shooters in Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, and Karl-Anthony Towns. Forward Josh Hart may not be as proficient but could help stretch the floor.
Since the defense can leave none of them open, they’ll have to contest shots, which should give Bridges several open looks on a nightly basis. He can wreak havoc as a corner three-point shooter. Last season, he converted 82 of his 219 attempts from the corner and will likely get a lot more opportunities to shoot from that spot in the upcoming campaign.
The Knicks averaged a franchise-record 13.2 three-pointers per game last season. The addition of Bridges and Towns should help them surpass that mark in the upcoming campaign.
