Three weeks before the event, Jalen Brunson perfectly summed up what the Knicks can expect from Bridges.
“That guy got off the plane from London last night (August 16). And then he was in the gym this morning (August 17), bright and early,” Brunson revealed at Fanatics Fest NYC on August 16. “Here’s everything you need to know about him.”
It turns out Brides is also a “psychopath,” which fits the culture the Knicks have built under demanding, hands-on coach Tom Thibodeau.
While Brunson and Bridges are excited to reunite, the pressure to be at his best next season is immense, after everything the Knicks gave up to get him over the Brooklyn Bridge and away from the Nets.
The Knicks traded four unprotected picks and a protected top-four pick for Bridges, who was never an All-Star in his first six seasons in the league. But for Brunson, it’s all worth it.
“He fits the puzzle perfectly,” Brunson said, “like he can do anything you ask of him and more. And that’s the kind of person he is.”