What a difference a borough makes for New York Knicks’ new star, Mikal Bridges.
That’s according to ESPN’s NBA experts, who revealed the results of a poll that made major predictions for the upcoming 2024-25 season. Bridges was appreciated in two major areas.
He came in second when asked which traded star would have the biggest impact on his new team (behind Philadelphia’s Paul George) and was third on the list of projected first-time All-Stars (leading the East behind young West duo Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren).
Bridges’ arrival is part of the excitement surrounding the Knicks’ upcoming season, as he is the latest Villanova alumnus to join the metropolitan fold. He arrives after a season-plus with the Brooklyn Nets and joins former Wildcats teammates Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo and Josh Hart.
Skeptics of the Bridges deal are concerned about the huge sum it will fetch: Despite an accomplished NBA career thus far (which began with the Phoenix Suns), Bridges has yet to play in an NBA All-Star Game. That didn’t stop the Knicks from sending him a nice chunk of money, headlined by five future first-round picks.
Despite all that, it’s hard not to be optimistic about reuniting Bridges and his Wildcat guard. The quartet guided the Main Line to victory in the 2016 NCAA men’s basketball tournament, and Bridges was part of the victorious return trip with Brunson and DiVincenzo two years later.
Bridges’ sheer prescience also works in the Knicks’ favor, as his uncanny ability to stay healthy (having not missed a game due to injury in each of his first six years) is welcome news for a contending group that has seen several big names disappear due to various ailments.
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