Knicks' Mikal Bridges: 'I Got to Play Better' amid 4th Quarter Benching vs. Hornets

The struggles for Mikal Bridges have gotten to the point that New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau kept him on the bench for the final eight minutes of Friday's 99-98 win over the Charlotte Hornets.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Bridges said bluntly "I got to play better" because he's been "inconsistent" so far this season.

"I've had some games where I've played good, some I haven't. Just got to find a rhythm within the team," he added. "That's pretty much it. Not even 20 games in, still just trying to figure it out."

Thibodeau pulled Bridges from the game with 8:25 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Knicks were trailing 82-78 at that point before closing the game strong to steal the win from a Hornets team that was playing without LaMelo Ball.

This marks the second time in the past four games that Bridges has been on the bench for most of the fourth quarter. He was pulled with 10 minutes remaining against the Utah Jazz on Nov. 23 in a game the Knicks went on to lose 121-106.

Thibodeau said after Friday's win he kept Miles McBride in the game down the stretch because he was "making shots" and the offense was "sort of in the mud" the entire game.

Even though the Knicks are only 19 games into the season, there are reasons to be concerned about where Bridges is at right now. There have already been stories written about how his shooting form has changed.

Bridges admitted he's tweaked his mechanics basically every year since entering the NBA. The results this year are very concerning because he's shooting a career-low 30.6 percent from three-point range on 6.5 attempts per game.

There has also been a lack of aggressiveness from Bridges when he gets the ball. He has attempted 13 free throws all season, despite leading the NBA in minutes per game (38.1).

In addition to Bridges' shooting woes, the Knicks built their defense around him and OG Anunoby being stoppers on the wing. They currently have the eighth-worst defensive rating in the NBA.

All of this is particularly concerning for the Knicks because they traded four unprotected first-round draft picks and an unprotected first-round pick swap to the Brooklyn Nets during the offseason to acquire Bridges.

The Knicks have won six of their last eight games to improve to 11-8 overall, fourth in the Eastern Conference, but they haven't taken the step forward most fans and analysts expected after their playoff run last season.