New York Knicks All-Star Jalen Brunson recently revealed a compelling story about the drive his not-so-new teammate Mikal Bridges has shown during the offseason.
Brunson knows more than a thing or two about his Knicks running mate Bridges after the latter was traded to New York earlier this summer. The pair won two national titles at Villanova in 2016 and 2018. After spending the first six years of their NBA careers on rival teams, be it Brunson’s Dallas Mavericks and Bridges’ Phoenix Suns, followed by Brunson’s Knicks and Bridges’ Brooklyn Nets, they have teamed up to try to conquer the competitive Eastern Conference and win a championship in 2024-25.
In Brunson’s latest account of his 27-year-old co-star, he sings an interlude that always leads to a banger of an album – namely, a run in the NBA Finals.
Knicks: Jalen Brunson tells his story about Mikal Bridges’ gym addiction
As a recent guest at Fanatics Fest NYC, the Knicks’ 2023-24 MVP candidate told listeners how Bridges wasted no time working out in the gym after a long flight:
“This man got off the plane from London last night (August 16). And then he was at the gym early this morning (August 17),” Brunson introduced at Fanatics Fest NYC“That’s all you need to know about him.”
Brunson believes Bridges could help them overcome the hump in their quest for a title
Bridges is known throughout the league as a workhorse, and his drive and stamina have been instrumental in him playing every single game of his career so far. He has even played 83 games in the 2022-23 season, as his trade came at the end of the season and the Nets’ schedule lagged behind that of the Suns he came from.
Bridges is the perfect remedy for a Knicks team that saw All-Star Julius Randle miss 36 games with a dislocated shoulder, Mitchell Robinson miss 51 games with lower-body discomfort and OG Anunoby sit out 27 games with an elbow injury.
Brunson claimed that the former 2022 Defensive Player of the Year runner-up is the missing piece of the puzzle for the championship. Most importantly, Bridges will be a perfect backup should Randle be out in 2024-25. Averaging 26.1 points per game and 19.6 PPG in his last two seasons with the Nets, he has also shown that he can establish himself as a pro-scorer in the league, and an efficient one at that.
If he maintains his work ethic as Brunson described and fits seamlessly into New York’s system on both ends of the court (which all indicators point to), the talented rising star in the three-and-D format could indeed be the missing ingredient that helps the Knicks win the Larry O’Brien Trophy come June.
