The jury might still be out on the success of Mikal Bridges on the Knicks. But he may have started putting the pieces together to find success. And tonight, he had an impressive performance against the Pelicans, starting out with a strong 13-point first quarter. He would end up outscoring the Pelicans’ entire team in the quarter, as they scored just 10 points as a squad.
Mikal Bridges had what could be considered his best game for the Knicks tonight. He put up 31 points (12-19 FG), four rebounds, one assist, and one block. He was incredibly accurate from the three-point line, going 7-12 from long range, and helping the Knicks win against an abysmal Pelicans team.
Bridges has started the season inconsistently with the Knicks. He averages 16.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.6 blocks, while shooting 46.6% from the field, 33.1% from three, and 61.5% from the free-throw line.
The Pelicans had an abysmal game tonight. At the end of the first half, they had just 28 points. The game ended 118-85, showing that the Pelicans were able to improve their scoring in the second half. In fact, in each quarter of the second half, the Pelicans either tied or surpassed their first-half total of 28 points.
The Pelicans must figure out the direction they want their team to go, as they are not clear on their future. While the Pelicans want to be competitive, and have the roster on paper to do so, that just hasn’t been the case this season. The Pelicans currently hold a 4-17 record and sit dead last at 15th in the Western Conference.
Perhaps it is time for them to abandon their current project, built around Zion Williamson. Williamson was expected to be one of the greatest prospects in NBA history but has failed to live up to that potential. His issues with his weight and health have made him absolutely unreliable.
Brandon Ingram has been underperforming in the past few years and looks to be out the door next season, as the Pelicans have not agreed to pay him the large contract that he is looking for. It was reported last night that Ingram has signed with Rich Paul’s Klutch Sports agency, meaning that he must be serious about securing a big-money deal in the offseason.
Dejounte Murray was supposed to be the missing piece for this Pelicans team that would help them take the step to the next level. But that just hasn’t been the case at all. While Murray is absolutely not solely responsible for their poor run this year, having struggled with an injury, he certainly hasn’t lit the world on fire.
The Pelicans have their own draft pick, along with the rights to swap for the Bucks‘ and the Lakers‘ draft pick next year. Given their poor start and their draft capital, it would make sense for the Pelicans to blow it up, get as many assets as possible, and rebuild through the stacked 2025 NBA Draft class, which has some excellent players available for selection.
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