In the fiftieth episode of the Hot Hand Theory Podcast, Geoff and XJ break down Mikal Bridges' breakout performance without Jalen Brunson—and what it means for the Knicks going forward. With Brunson sidelined, Bridges has stepped up in a major way, showing flashes of the secondary offensive star many Knicks fans hoped he could be.

Bridges' recent stats tell the story:

- Last 3 games without Brunson: 23.3 PPG | 62.8% FG | 5.7 APG | 4.7 FTAs

- Full season before that: 17.5 PPG | 49.5% FG | 3.5 APG | 1.2 FTAs

Is this more aggressive Bridges a real shift in his role, or just a short-term adjustment without Brunson? Will the Knicks keep up their ball-movement / player-movement-heavy style when Brunson returns?

Key Topics Covered in This Episode:

🔹 Why Mikal Bridges is playing his best basketball without Brunson

🔹 How the Knicks' offensive flow has changed in his absence

🔹 Deuce McBride’s off ball impact AND impact off-the-ball (and how these are different)

🔹 Karl-Anthony Towns' evolving role and why the Knicks need to maximize his impact

🔹 Tom Thibodeau’s minutes philosophy—reacting to the Thibs and Bridges quotes

🔹 The key stat that proves the Knicks are different without Brunson

Bridges looks like a different player and the Knicks look like a different team—but are the things they've done well without their superstar sustainable when Brunson comes back?

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