Mikal Bridges Fixed His Shot, Then Broke It Again

[@Usersf134ssk]

Just get a new one at the animation store 😂

[@kingdongo4388]

Underrated comment 😂

[@Huziplayz2010]

@@kingdongo4388yep 😂

[@doc-vg9lq]

explain

[@zhenya7992]

@@doc-vg9lq 2k reference, probably

[@johnd5619]

2:34 this shit must be contagious

[@ThePartarar]

Cam Payne has that weird lefty form for sure

[@Benjiizus]

I was about to say that one is atrocious

[@SaSpursFan]

Came to comment this

[@Spider-Complexion]

It’s like he’s overthinking it with his shooting

[@franciscosamir5256]

He's arms are so long its giving him problems, IMO he nees to copy Klays blueprint a little more... bring the ball to his right side a little more. Knicks are so unlucky... buy a star, and his shot breaks... PS: Payne's shooting is payneful to watch

[@clouddueitt6577]

Good news: through the game, Mikal saw it wasn’t falling and went back to his standard form. Only missing a contested under goal layup the 2H.

[@wl7291]

Long arms aren't even a real problem. KD is 7 feet tall and has had 50/40/90 seasons. PG improved his jump shooting dramatically into becoming an MVP candidate before the shoulder surgeries.

[@timboslice8559]

@@wl7291yes they are KD is different

[@Mandy-p9w]

i think his wingspan grew between college and signing with the nba and this affected his shot. his arms look longer in the nba than they did in college.

[@cottonmather8146]

KD shoots from the side of his head

[@BrendonMcBucket15]

I too Noticed that he went back to his old jumpshot in the second half as well, which is how he got to 16 points, but he needs to keep it at that and build off that! Whoever told him to switch his jumpshot to some bullshit after being a career 38.1 3pt shooter needs to be fired.

[@zimbu_]

To me his college shot looks like it's straight from the 90s/00s, massive hop but only using a fraction of the power from it to shoot. The 2020 shot is a little funky, but it's quick enough, efficient enough, and one motion.

[@allphornunn]

Love this explanation. The hitch was very noticeable for sure! Sometimes shot mechanics issues are hard to see, but his hitch was so awkward. Almost like flinching right in the middle of every shot

[@Mandy-p9w]

i think his wingspan grew between college and going to the nba. his arms look longer and this is what probably impacted his shot.

[@battlefort501st]

Daniel, what do you think Mikal is trying to fix with his new shot form? Will his new shot give him better control, less time for the defender to guard him, etc.? I genuinely don't understand why he didn't just improve on the shot that he fixed in 2020 and so on. To just completely change his shot form as a ~40% 3pt shooter now just sounds insane to me.

[@waff6ix]

RIGHT LIKE WHAT WAS HE THINKING??👀🤔

[@phamawa]

My guess is a higher release point that's tougher to contest..?

[@battlefort501st]

@@phamawa was thinking that too or fixing his low forward facing starting point. His old shot seemed like a good way to get stripped as he brings the ball up.

[@触れない軽井沢恵]

Cause first it was slow, than fixing that he had as the guy said started to go up beginning with the ball so low that it wasn't hard to tell when he was actually shooting it and to pressure the shot. Now he kinda reverted back to being slow: even if the wind up is not the problem anymore (I presonally feel like the angle more than the actual motion rn). He also somehow thought that releasing higher would prevent players to block him or close out fast to punish the unquickness, here we ended..

[@DanielLi7]

It's a good question and tbh I don't really know. I initially thought he's not trying to get blocked but just looking back at his Brooklyn days, it didn't feel like he was getting blocked at an alarming rate even on tight closeouts. However, there may be stats to refute this. I haven't looked that far. If I had to guess, he's trying to figure out how to get the ball from his dip to above his head in the most natural way. Like you mentioned, his old form (Brooklyn shot) does seem like a good way to get stripped. If you look at some of his shots from college, his arms are a little tighter to his body when he's going from the dip to his shot than his time in Brooklyn (KD's looks more like this). But eventually, he developed that weird hitch in his early years in Phoenix. It's not abnormal in sports in general where things (ex: hitch) just develop mechanically sometimes and you have to keep making adjustments in the moment to fix it. What works for someone in college might not work for them later on. But what he's doing right now is not what he probably had in mind.

[@robertphillips8638]

Had a near 40% 3-pointer with a 7’ wingspan and the knicks decided to change it

[@skippie8011]

They didn't force him to, Bridges wanted to change it

[@Mark-e4x]

Bridges decided it himself you bhum

[@ryanespiritu1554]

Babe wake up, Daniel Li posted a video

[@kenny2553]

Super video and analysis

[@notsocooldude7720]

Bro might not be the sharpest tool in the shed. He was shooting a pretty good percentage on 7 threes per game and decided to destroy his own jump shot for no reason

[@rkojomobrock]

it’s the Knick’s coaching staff’s fault not his

[@YourTechHomeboy]

thats why I dont get the need to fix. and for a nba player whose job is to work on this everyday, it odd to hear it takes 7 years to "fix" a shot.

[@Jonathan-A.C.]

Doesn’t mean he’s dumb if he’s just having trouble with it. Could be a lot of mental whatever going into that

[@m9ch15l]

The reason is to get better.. even the goats always try to improve... unfortunately in this case he did something wrong in the process

[@BrendonMcBucket15]

Makes absolutely no sense, cause at that point why would I listen to anybody tryna tell me to change anything on my jumper? Id play my percentages since I came into the league

[@_WeDontKnow_]

As a Nets fan I love Mikal. But Marks is a GOD for getting 4 firsts in that trade. It just ages better and better

[@milsyburg3307]

hows it aging now?

[@_WeDontKnow_]

@milsyburg3307 is he doing better? I still think the trade was amazing for us but it's dope if Knicks get good value out of him, I'd like to see them in a deep playoff run

[@elizabethgeorge168]

I think what we're seeing is both an adjustment to the shift in pace in the big leagues (compared to NCAA) and then a few years into the league he had a shift in roles. He went from being 6th man and solid 3rd/4th option, to basically the 1 or 2 guy depending on the match up that night. As a result, he's going to fatigue faster, which is why we don't see the same explosiveness on the initial jump. Changing his jump changed the shot itself. I'm glad he's committed time to trying to fix it, but only time will tell if it produces tangible results.

[@JulianDanielsen]

No reason to have a shot look THAT goofy. Can't even blame his wingspan because he for sure had a really smooth stroke in college. It's either crippling self doubt or a coaching problem. Probably both, I feel bad for him

[@Mandy-p9w]

his wingspan probably grew after college and it affected his shot

[@JulianDanielsen]

​@@Mandy-p9w *Extremely loud incorrect buzzer sound*

[@Mandy-p9w]

@@JulianDanielsen you feel yourself picked up and slammed into a locker. you hear a loud clang and sobbing as the door shuts you into darkness and you begin to cry feeling tears going down your face

[@phamawa]

Honestly, his threes in the 2nd half were promising imo. Whether the set point is "too high" is irrelevant if he makes it work. In an ideal world, he doesn't ever mess with his shot out of college though. It's like how kerr insisted no one touch Haliburton's shot. It's wonky, but it works. Reggie Miller and Jeff Hornacek were great shooters with wonky shots. If bridges lands on a truly wonky, high set point shot, but starts drilling them then he should leave it. Curious to see him shoot tomorrow tho!

[@RW0Acri]

he isnt making it work though, the statistics say so

[@ldking5132]

​@@RW0Acri there's been one game.....

[@phamawa]

@@RW0Acri its a work in progress....? Like I said, he had decent jumpers in the 2nd half, if they werent a flash in the pan he may have made a mind-body connection finally with the new shot.

[@wl7291]

So many nba players don't want to bend their wrist and elbows to shoot jump shots. That would help him so much to start with.

[@12yearsa57]

It’s harder to block that’s why he’s doing it

[@Post-2-True]

@@12yearsa57bro he has a 7ft wingspan and nobody gets blocked on jump shots 😂

[@12yearsa57]

@Post-2-True bc they are professionals who know how much space they need to get a shot off obviously, now he needs less space

[@TommyTomTompkins]

Glad he didn't come to the Grizzlies...it was some buzz over the summer he was coming

[@Hot.dorito]

With his long arms he needs to just go the KD route

[@Unforsaken_1]

Do these teams not have shooting coaches? Someone has to be there to guide and help right?

[@MeesterSun]

It's the prime D-Rose jumper but at least he had an excuse jumping so high before shooting as he was the shortest guy on the court sometimes.

[@allphornunn]

It seems like exceptional athletic ability can make it harder for guys to sort through this kind of issue with their form. I just mean that having elite coordination and touch can overcome bad mechanics *just enough* for guys to keep making small tweaks to a problematic shooting motion (or throwing motion in pitching, QB passing, etc) because they're able to still maintain decent percentages and a bigger tweak is more risky

[@edwarddapra7674]

Wow. What a difference from the Villanova form to today. His older shot looked so much smoother in the release.

[@vb2324]

As a Net fan who's watched a lot of Bridges and his release point was always that high minus the hitch. It worked, was always able to get it off quick and over defenders. So why tweak what was working? Finding a solution in search of a problem...🤷🏿‍♂️

[@wilseph1]

Making Markelle Fultz blush.

[@B_rzechwa]

Well it seems like he fixed it

[@pimpnamedslickback7780]

Idk why there’s so much focus on this when that’s not the biggest concern for the Knicks. Their lack of rim protection from Kat and bridges overrated defense is a bigger concern. I get you want bridges to be able to hit his 3s but the guy is a 15-16 ppg scorer. Hes not changing much against Boston, not having a big to protect the rim against Boston is a massive concern

[@OrentholJames]

Yeah, wasted soo many 1st round picks for this guy. SMH.

[@jameshoops10]

i see a tilt as well, in his jump to he tends to lean left

[@musaddiqmunirliman8267]

They did the same to Giannis too.. Spoilt it

[@cnl1213]

Why does he have to dip so far to get it off? Also I feel like the force transfer is not in line w his base. You are taught to load the ball on the wrist of your shooting hand. I also feel like this is a slower release than it needs to be. Esp w his length and athleticism, this is just extra time for the defense to gather, negating his advantages. Where is Donte Divincenzo when u need him😅

[@ValWillKay]

After watching this atrocity I need to go watch Steph and Kyrie shoot 😂

[@yoshikigrg8]

It's because of his too damn long arms bruh. 💀

[@Aarefshams]

It is always interesting to me that players in that level and after being able to make it to the league, are not able to shoot the ball correctly. I don't know where does it really come from.

[@chucktaylur3104]

From memory, this reminds me of Rashad Lewis's shot.

[@wilseph1]

That slow sling shot was money!

[@olly305]

Put him in the g league and bring Mac Mclung in!!!!

[@BeamMeUpScottieV1]

ur not the sharpest tool in the shed

[@hdotesp]

He is natural shooter , i believe he will figured it out. He need to decide. Muscle memory may have not built in yet. He needs to decide for the betterment of this team. I do believe he changed due to his dominant scoring in bkny , plus the fact he getting older , the elevation may not be there like he was in college so he may need to bring the setpoint down like u said.

[@arkelon]

#1 story of the 2025 season

[@jonathanz9889]

Daniel this is just pathetic calling 5% college to nba significant. You do know that the college line is shorter and there's well established scaling formulas for this....

[@futurehofer1564]

I dont understand why he made any change at all like why did he lose his villanova form? Did he suffer an injury?

[@Seaby41]

Basic shot mechanics aren't hard. I just dont understand why professional basketball isnt better at it. Especially with the modern emphasis on shooting. I like my tennis too. Same issue with serving. (They arent a thousand miles away from each other mechanically or process wise either)

[@stargazer8g2]

Lmfao, with all due respect he looks like he has another set of forearms taped to his arms when shooting

[@An0n_ym0u5]

Lmfao at the arm chair experts that said NY upgraded with their trades, theyll be lucky to make the play in this year, straight 🗑 😂

[@lexist7]

Who is coaching him? That’s like a mechanic wanting to tweak a sports car and made it worse.

[@doc-vg9lq]

they gave up like 5 #1's for this fool. now he's all of a sudden got some shooting form issue on the day the season starts. even without the shooting hitch he doesn't look like a star more than a glorified role player. what a bad trade.

[@stuffstuff8942]

Bro actually thought he could play in the 80s and 90s 😭😭😭😭

[@artLopez24]

If his shit gonna stay like this sixers officially better then Knicks

[@jimmyhyun8546]

College three is a lot less distance than NBA three though.

[@MarbSteton]

That phoenix hinge is NOT subtle.

[@JonathanAcademic]

This shot is now fixed inmo.

[@wilseph1]

What the deuce is this?!?!?!?!

[@lowbatt777]

why change what's not broken.. wtf?

[@mariochalmerstopooter84]

nba line significantly farther cant really compare his form from nova to now

[@jonq8714]

Looks like he's heaving a boulder. It's one of the ugliest shot's I've ever seen, and as a Knicks fan, it absolutely figures that he'd do it now.

[@Noushauga]

if he continues this the whole season he might need to turn off his social media accs cuz them knicks fan aren’t gonna be playing around 😂 heck his Nova buddies might start talking about his shooting form in their podcast too 😂 literally sabotaging the Knicks organization right now.

[@ninjachannel007]

He's just dumb. You build a shot through reps, which you can't do if you keep changing it. His arms are too long for his own good, I think.

[@Herosennin]

That's actually a dumb take lol. Should Lonzo had stayed with his original shot and just 'build reps'? Because I'll tell you rn, he'd be out of the league by now if he did that. Your last explanation is actually the sound one, not the first. Bridges has very long arms and to feel good shooting it, he has to stretch the ball in his shooting pocket before going up with it, which even if he was a solid shooter, is not a good thing. He has been trying to adjust this, but went the wrong way with it this time. That's not dumb, but lets say 'growing pains.' Lebron had to work out his 3 point shooting for 18 years before he got his to be consistent. Some dudes are just natural shooters. Some dudes arent and they might be inconsistent with it till they really find their shot, some will lose consistency having to adjust due to injuries and some will always be inconsistent. KD has a wacky shot in regards of how he brings the ball up as well due to his long arms. He however, is a natural shooter, so whatever he does that he's comfortable with, works.

[@edwardcui7535]

It honestly doesn’t look any different. Just overdramatic knicks fans creating drama for no reason

[@Wowverycrazy]

Did you watch the video lmao

[@kirkaioclips24354]

He even admitted he changed it

[@RW0Acri]

you might be retarded

[@chomosuke0720]

Bro attention span shorter than a goldfish's

[@edwardcui7535]

@@kirkaioclips24354 when people say something you start to believe it even when it’s not true

[@beckembrown7002]

The shot is fine, Brunson’s just a horrible passer that can’t hit the shooter’s pocket

[@vchikes4306]

That’s just not true

[@par011]

What are you on about? Doesnt exactly explain free throws does it

[@reidb6327]

😂

[@40441gogo]

@@par011pefect comeback

[@RW0Acri]

you might be retarded as well my friend

[@KingslayerSrb]

I don't understand. For sure he has a personal trainer, right? He can afford to pay, and is obviously not lazy to train (as he has worked on his shot, just not in a good direction lol). But even if its not a personal trainer, but someone from the Knicks staff. Surely Mikal is not doing this on his own, there is someone who is telling him stuff. So, WTF is that person doing? Are they nuts?

[@JoshBeFreeTV]

Amazing how his "professional" trainers and coaches are leading him to worsen his career when "laypeople" are easily able to acknowledge and address concerns like this. More wealth/accessibility 🚫 mean better.