Mike Brown is sticking with Mikal Bridges. For now.

In last night’s loss to the Cavaliers, Mikal Bridges played 17 minutes, took three shots, and finished with two points, two rebounds, and an assist. This was another disappointing performance in a season when we expected the wing to make his first All-Star appearance.

At his presser after the game, coach Mike Brown said: “Mikal is a starter, and so it’s not a question of that. He’s like a lot of players. They’ve had their good moments and their not-so-good moments. And Mikal has a proven track record of playing at a pretty high level as a starter in this league. So, for me to make a quote-unquote panic decision and change it right now, we’re ten games in, or whatever we are, I’m not feeling it.”

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And in the locker room, Jalen Brunson defended his teammate. “The people in this room have his back night in & night out. We see the work he puts into his game, […] Regardless of what the noise is on the outside, that’s our brother.”

Bridges is an iron man. Between college ball and the pros, he hasn’t missed a game. He’s also one of Jalen Brunson’s closest friends on the team, and as a Villanova teammates they won two national titles together. Kal’s mantle is full of pre-pro awards, and he was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team in 2022. Bridges is a world champion. With a lithe, long body, he’s a tremendous cutter, plays a terrific midrange game, and guards multiple positions well. He’s a career 48% / 37% / 84% shooter, averaging over 14 points and 1.2 steals per game. Maybe not Hall-of-Fame, but definitely Hall-of-Pretty-Good.

In 2024, Brooklyn traded him to New York for a boatload of picks. In just over two seasons at his current home, he’s averaged more than 15 points per game and has been a fixture of the starting lineup.

He’s also been consistently inconsistent. There were times last season when we thought it might be time to sacrifice the games-played streak for a little RnR. After the first five games of the playoffs, we were ready to leave him behind in Atlanta. Then he went on an incredible run, and aside from faltering somewhat against the Spurs, he was essential to New York bringing home a…

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Publish date : 2026-11-12 16:36:00

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