Dominant Knicks Trio Standing Out on Both Ends of Court

Three New York Knicks players are standing out for their stellar performances on both ends of the court.

Nov 20, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) and forward Mikal Bridges (25) greet each other before playing against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

There are a lot of things that have gone right for the New York Knicks through the first 24 games of Mike Brown’s tenure as head coach.

He has done a wonderful job navigating some injuries to key contributors in the lineup. Iron man Mikal Bridges and Jordan Clarkson are the only players who have appeared in all 24 games.

Miles McBride is about to miss his fifth game. Landry Shamet hasn’t played since Nov. 22 and will be sidelined through at least Christmas. Mitchell Robinson has missed eight games, and OG Anunoby has been out for nine.

Despite the seemingly constant shuffling of the lineup, Brown has constantly hit the right buttons to get the most out of this roster. And when he has his full allotment of rotation players, he is seeing some incredible production.

Josh Hart, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges are Dominant Trio

Dec 11, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks forwards OG Anunoby (8) and Mikal Bridges (25) warm up before a game against the Atlanta Hawks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

As shared by DJ Zullo on X, there is one trio that is standing out for its two-way performance: Josh Hart, Bridges and Anunoby. The sample size isn’t gigantic, given some of the time that Anunoby has missed this season with a hamstring injury, but when they are on the court together, good things are happening.

They are putting up some truly elite numbers on the perimeter when playing together. Those three are knocking down 53.5% of their 3-point attempts when sharing the court, compared to allowing a paltry 27.5%

That has helped result in an offensive rating of 136.6 and a defensive rating of 98.1, coming out to an eye-popping +38.5 net rating.

When the Knicks brought in Bridges, the theory of case significantly centered around this wing trio.

Sample size is small. There is three point luck at play. But this level of dominance is a GREAT sign. pic.twitter.com/uFUubCmSkB

— DJ Zullo (@DJAceNBA) December 11, 2025

As the season has moved along, players are getting more and more comfortable with Brown’s schemes on both ends of the floor. The aforementioned trio has really benefitted, putting up some career numbers in the process.

After a very slow start to the season, in which he was adjusting to a smaller role minutes-wise, Hart has taken off since being inserted into the starting lineup. He’s in the midst of the best shooting season of his career with a .512/.396/.822 shooting split resulting in a 60.1% effective field goal percentage.

In nine games as a starter, he is averaging 16.4 points, 9.6 rebounds and 5.7 assists with a .546/.447/.875 shooting split in 35.2 minutes per game. It is going to be hard for Brown to take him out of the starting five even when the Knicks are at full strength.

Bridges, despite playing 2.5 minutes fewer per game, is putting up career-highs across the board in what is on pace to be a historic season. He is averaging single-season bests with 4.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.1 blocks per game.

Knicks Trio Deserves All-Star Consideration

May 31, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) and forward OG Anunoby (8) speak in the third quarter during game six of the eastern conference finals against the Indiana Pacers for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

More and more, he is looking like the two-way terror he was earlier in his career with the Phoenix Suns, which made him such an attractive trade target for the Brooklyn Nets in the Kevin Durant blockbuster.

He and Anunoby have stifled opponents on the perimeter with suffocating defense. Both have strong cases of being first-time All-Stars this season, especially if the injury bug stays away from Anunoby.

Despite playing nearly six minutes fewer per game, he is grabbing rebounds and racking up steals at a career-high rate. His 16.1 PER would be a career high, buoyed by near single-season best shooting splits.

If this trio continues performing at the level that they have to this point, New York is going to be incredibly hard to beat.

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