New Knicks forward Mikal Bridges won’t be wearing No. 1 on his jersey next season after all, changing it to No. 25 on Monday. Bridges, who was acquired from the Brooklyn Nets in a blockbuster deal several weeks ago, is bringing a positive medical history and plenty of production on both sides of the ball to a New York team that needed a championship-caliber wing .
In addition to bringing back OG Anunoby on a new contract, Bridges is another former Defensive Player of the Year candidate. He averaged 19.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists last season, shooting .436 from the field and .372 from three-point range. However, Bridges was a first-team All-Defense player during the 2021-22 season with the Phoenix Suns before being traded. He played 82 games that year, averaging just 14.2 points. His career-high 21 points per game came between Phoenix and Brooklyn, but the Knicks may have an even bigger role in store for him.