Knicks Notes: Bridges, Hart, Starters, McBride

The Knicks‘ coaching change will result in new defensive responsibilities for Mikal Bridges, writes Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News. Bridges was usually assigned to check opposing point guards last season, but Mike Brown plans to use him against the other team’s best perimeter weapon, regardless of position.

“He will (guard the point of attack) some,” Brown said after Wednesday’s practice. “If Reggie Miller was still playing, I’d throw him on Reggie, because I think he navigates screens well, and with those long strides, he can stay close to a shooter’s body, and then he’s contesting and he’s got long arms. But then if we need to put him on a point guard, because, again, he’s able to navigate through screens and if he does get hit, people still feel him. They feel him coming with his length, and so we’ll mix it up. He won’t always be at the point of the ball. He won’t always chase shooters.”

Winfield notes that Bridges’ matchups with point guards last season resulted in him facing a league-high 25 screens per game, the largest total in the 13 years the NBA has kept track of the statistic. The strategy limited the wear on Jalen Brunson, conserving his energy to carry the offense. Brown’s change is part of an aggressive approach to defense that he hopes will produce more turnovers and create transition opportunities.

“I think our coverages (are) just a little different, when it comes to shifting and stuff like that: concepts, making sure our verbiage is always different with different coaches and different systems,” Bridges said. “I think more emphasis in being aggressive when you’re off the ball. Obviously the usual X’ing out, the help in rotation. I think every coach in the NBA has that. But just putting an emphasis on shifting and helping the guy on ball a little bit more.”

There’s more from New York:

• Josh Hart missed practice the past two days due to illness and may not play Thursday against Minnesota, Winfield adds in a separate story. It’s the latest setback for Hart, who came to camp with a splint on his right ring finger, then suffered back spasms in the preseason opener in Abu Dhabi that forced him to miss the second game. Brown wasn’t sure if Hart’s back issue has fully cleared up.
• None of the starters played more than 18 minutes in the two overseas games, but Brown plans to increase their workload now that the trip is done, according to Andrew Crane of The New York Post. “Getting closer to the season, getting closer to the real thing, we’re still preparing as well as we need to be,” Brunson said. “So we’ll just continue with that preparation and that focus, and yeah, obviously minutes aren’t what they would be in a regular-season game, but everything matters what we do.”
• Miles McBride has been mentioned as a possible trade target as the Knicks work out their final roster spots, but he avoids the speculation by staying away from social media, per Steve Popper of Newsday. Popper points out that McBride is probably too valuable to part with because he has a team-friendly contract and he’s a natural fit for Brown’s new system. “I love being here,” McBride said. “I want to be a Knick for life. I can’t control anything. So just going to come to work until they tell me otherwise.”