The New York Knicks have put together a championship roster going into the 2025-26 NBA season.
The New York Knicks have big expectations after making it to the Eastern Conference Finals a season ago.
The Knicks will lean on Jalen Brunson and the supporting cast around him in an Eastern Conference that is considered to be wide open.
The Knicks are a big favorite to come out of the East this season and they should be able to if they avoid any major injury.
Photo by Francois Nel/Getty ImagesMike Brown says Mikal Bridges is ‘one of the best chasers’ he has been around
The Knicks have one of the best starting fives in the NBA.
They have a lot of two-way players who can make an impact, one of them being Mikal Bridges.
Bridges can affect the game with his size, length and speed when he’s defending on the perimeter or leaking out to the corners to shoot a three.
Knicks head coach Mike Brown talked about Bridges and his ability to run on the court and said he’s in the top three when it comes to that.
“Mikael he’s just got this way about him that uplifts everybody. I don’t care if you’re the number two guy or the number 18 guy. That’s impressive in itself.
“When you look at him you can tell he can be, if not the best runner in the NBA, at least in the top three.
“He can get out and go. He’s got long strides, he’s fluid, he’s long, and when he does do that it’s putting a lot of pressure on our opponents, he can get to the corner, he can shoot the three, flatten the defense.
“Two of his strides equal six of my strides.
“Defensively he’s one of the best chasers that I’ve been around, he’s got a knack to get through screens and chase guys.”
Mikal Bridges is a key piece to the New York Knicks success
The Knicks paid a steep price to acquire Bridges because they believed in his abilities and think he can be a difference maker on both ends. Bridges signed a four-year, $150 million contract extension with the Knicks in July.
Not only can Bridges guard the other team’s best player, but he can explode on offense as well.
In his first season with the Knicks, Bridges averaged 17.6 points per game on 50 percent shooting from the field and 35.4 percent shooting from deep.
Another valuable part of Bridges’ game is his durability. He has played in all 82 games four times in his career, including the 2024-25 season with the Knicks.