Nov 10, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Mikal Bridges (25) drives past Milwaukee Bucks forward Kyle Kuzma (18) in the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Knicks veteran swingman Mikal Bridges has built a reputation as a workhorse over his nine-year career.
During this current streak of 649 straight games played, he has led the NBA in minutes played three times. But there is no denying that he has fallen out of head coach Mike Brown’s favor 11 games into the 2026-27 season, and it now has him rooted to the bench.
Bridges is averaging a career-low 24.4 minutes per game, as he has often been pulled for large stretches during the second halves of games. In Wednesday night’s 115-107 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, he played just 6:29 in the third quarter and did not play a single second in the fourth.
It is the sixth time in 11 games this season that Bridges has not played the fourth, with Brown opting to go for the more productive Landry Shamet.
The stats are making this decision a no-brainer for Brown. While Bridges’ defense has been inconsistent, he’s averaging just 5.9 points per game on 32.9% shooting from the field and 26.5% from three.
Yet when asked about Bridges’ status, Brown didn’t waver.
“Mikal is a starter. It’s not a question of that” he said. “He, like a lot of players, has had their good moments and not-so-good moments. 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 panic decision and change it right now, with 10 games in or whatever, I’m not feeling it.”
Like or not, it’s nothing more than coach speak. Brown’s usage of Bridges tells a completely different story, and he is simply keeping him in the starting five as more of a figurehead role than anything. Wednesday night at MSG was the second straight game Bridges was limited to just 17 minutes, and the fourth time in the last seven games that his time on the court was in the teens.
The Knicks’ depth has a lot to do with that. Shamet, Miles McBride, and Jordan Clarkson are all providing more consistent, valuable minutes. But at the end of the day, the defending champions are 6-5, and if a spark is needed, the first and most logical move is swapping Bridges out of the starting five.
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