Mikal Bridges’ jump shot looks bad and the Knicks’ numbers are even worse

The New York Knicks have championship hopes heading into the 2024-25 season after an incredibly bold summer that saw the team pursue a pair of peers for MVP candidate Jalen Brunson. The Knicks’ recent trade for Karl-Anthony Towns was analyzed ad nauseum, but the deal they made earlier in the summer was even riskier.

The Knicks acquired Mikal Bridges from their rival Brooklyn Nets to open the offseason, trading four of their own unprotected first-round picks (2025, 2027, 2029 and 2031), a 2025 first-round pick to the Bucks and an unprotected pick swap. in 2028. This is exactly the kind of return one would expect if the Bucks ever traded for Giannis Antetokounmpo. To give up all that for a player who has never been named an NBA All-Star like Bridges is just wild.

Even though it was difficult for one player to give up the game, Bridges was very, very good. He fits perfectly into the 3-and-D forward model as a typically underused swingman who can defend at a high level (he was a first-team all-defensive player in 2022) and shoot a lot of 3-pointers. Over the past two seasons between his stints with the Suns and Nets, Bridges has made 37.6 percent of his 3-point attempts on 6.3 attempts per game. Add to that the shot creation he showed in Brooklyn, and he’s one of the best role players in the NBA.

When Bridges entered Knicks training camp, something unexpected happened: Videos kept popping up of his jump shot form looking very, very strange. Notably, Bridges had a big hitch in his jump shot that wasn’t there last season. The problem only got worse in the preseason.

In four preseason games with the Knicks, Bridges shot 2 of 19 from 3-point range. After three rough outings in a row, he shot 0-for-10 against the league-worst Washington Wizards in the preseason finale. The video is disgusting and has gone viral.

It would be unwise to draw large conclusions from such a small sample size. Stephen Curry also struggled making threes in the preseason this year, shooting 7 of 25 (28 percent) from downtown. Is his shot broken too? Of course not.

At the same time: Bridges’ throw looks strangeman. Bridges has talked about trying to work out a kink in his jumper in the past, but it never looked like it. Here’s his recent explanation of what’s going on with his shooting mechanics:

An ugly throw is fine as long as it falls consistently, but Bridges’ results with this throw are so bad that New York fans are starting to get a little scared.

Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards even went after Bridges for damaging his jumper during a preseason game:

It looks like Bridges is trying to raise the release point of his jumper, which gives him a fancy release for a two-motion shot. This may look weirder than it is because Bridges’ arms are very long – he has a 7’1″ wingspan on a 6’7″ frame – but so far the results are consistent with the eye test and it doesn’t look right.

Here’s what Bridges’ jumper looked like at the end of the 2022 season:

Last year with the Nets, Bridges’ jumper did have a little more of a two-part release, but it wasn’t as exaggerated as it is now. He shot the ball very well from deep last year (37.2 on 7.2 attempts per game from three), so this might be a big bust over nothing.

Even if Bridges shoots the ball at his career standards, the Knicks will still be shelling out a ton of money to get him. If his shot does fall short, New York may regret this trade for a long time.