Why Knicks Benched Mikal Bridges With No Injury

The New York Knicks are searching. They have yet to replicate their NBA championship form so far in the new season.

Mikal Bridges has been a bit part of the struggles, and that came to a head on Wednesday night in Chicago against the Bulls. Bridges appears to have gotten benched, at least temporarily.

The Knicks subbed Bridges out with 8:09 left in the third quarter, and he didn't play the rest of the frame or into the start of the fourth quarter.

Barring a late change, that may have been Bridges' last action of the night.

Up to that 8:09 mark of the third quarter, Bridges had played 13 minutes. He had three points on 1-for-4 shooting from the field, including 1-for-2 from 3-point range.

Bridges had yet to record a rebound, or an assist, or a steal, or a block. He had one turnover and was a minus-5.

The Knicks can't be happy with Bridges' play so far this season.

His non-impact 13 minutes on Wednesday night were just a continuation of what he's done already this season — or more accurately, has not done.

Bridges' season game log before Thursday looked like this:

12 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal

He has begun the year shooting just 9-for-33 from the floor (27.3%) and 4-for-18 from 3-point range (22.2%). That's simply not good enough for a player who isn't known as a great rebounder or passer.

Bridges is an impactful defender when he's dialed in, so that's the one thing the Knicks really risk losing by not playing him.

But given that the Knicks had begun the season just 1-3 and were then in a dogfight with the Bulls on Wednesday night, head coach Mike Brown must've felt it was time to shake something up. Bridges won't be benched permanently, but a bit of an extended gap without him in the rotation was meant to force the Knicks to do something differently.

Does Mikal Bridges Get Voided on DraftKings, FanDuel?

The major sportsbooks have injury protection for NBA players, but Bridges doesn't appear to qualify.

For one, he did play four minutes in the second half, and a lot of the policies depend on something happening in the first half.

And two, Bridges wasn't injured, unless the Knicks say differently postgame. He seems simply to have been benched.

It might just be a bad break for anyone who was counting on Bridges on Wednesday night.