Mikal Bridges completely flipped the script on his Knicks season

NEW ORLEANS — There were already a few low moments for Mikal Bridges in his Knicks career.

He could barely hit a 3-pointer in the preseason, for example.

His revamped shooting form was awkward, mocked and involved a problem.

Nerves were speculated as the cause.

Or worse, yips.

But the bottom was probably on November 29 in Charlotte.

In the midst of his worst performance to date, Bridges was benched in the fourth quarter of a close win.

Criticism of his trade costs – five first round picks! – got higher. Quietly and briefly in the locker room that night, Bridges told The Post, “I’ve got to play better.”

And he did immediately.

Since that ugly night in Charlotte, Bridges leads the Knicks in total points while shooting 58 percent overall and 43.1 percent on 3s.

His net rating during this eight game stretch is a plus-21, the best on the team.

Meanwhile, no player in the NBA has logged more minutes or traveled more miles on the court than Bridges this season.

He absorbed an early onslaught of criticism and, at least through the first three weeks of December, turned it around.

“When he first started making shots, nobody said anything (about his renewed shooting form). Nobody talks about what it looks like now,” Cam Payne said. “So he’s just got to be locked in, man. He’s pretty good at something like that man. I actually applaud him for that. Because you can easily get distracted by it or get messed up in the head with it.”

Much has been made of the Villanova connection, but it became clear early on that Bridges’ best companion in the locker room was Payne.

Regardless of the city, their stalls are side by side.

They dance together during warm-ups and celebrations. They are teasing.

They create elaborate handshakes.

Without Bridges on the roster, Payne wouldn’t be a Knick.

The relationship was forged during their four seasons as teammates in Phoenix.

Back then, Bridges was a defensive-minded role player and the third leading scorer behind Devin Booker and Chris Paul.

He fit seamlessly and effectively into a team that was two wins away from the championship.

In Brooklyn, Bridges became the No. 1 option and was mostly passed over, but also developed his game.

He joined the Knicks as the clear no. 3 — first behind Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle, then behind Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns — but the hope and reality in December is that he embodies both versions of his NBA self.

“I try to play to be a mix,” Bridges said. “That’s the biggest thing. I think that’s a big reason why I was traded here – is to be able to do both.”

Payne agreed that Bridges has been a hybrid.

“Probably say the beginning of the year, he had that Brooklyn Kal. I feel like he’s going back to that Phoenix Kal a little bit,” Payne said. “But honestly, he’s been different ever since he left Phoenix, in a good way. I feel like his offensive game is starting to come around, be more complete. I think the Brooklyn game helped with that.”

Offensively, the only criticism is that Bridges still doesn’t get to the foul line – averaging fewer than one attempt per possession. game for the season – but there’s a reason he’s never missed a game.

Knocking low isn’t much of a part of Bridges’ strategy.

Instead, he cuts without the ball for easy looks, shoots mid-range off the pass or dribble and knocks down open 3-pointers.

Over the past eight games, Bridges has been better in all of these areas.

He was key in locking down Thursday night’s blowout victory, holding the Timberwolves to 107 points despite Josh Hart’s absence for personal reasons.

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“You can see every game there’s more comfort. It’s probably not the right word, but he has a great rhythm now,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “He understands his teammates a lot better. His teammates understand him much better. He plays a great floor game. He moves without the ball. He gets off the floor quickly in transition.

“I think that’s when he’s hard to guard when he moves like that.”

Towns said the emergence of Bridges in December — from benched and misfiring to unmatched reliability — was a team effort.

“We had to be better for him. I think we all understood the challenge and accepted the challenge and focused on getting him going,” Towns said. “He’s not just a player in this league, he’s a star in this league. He deserves to have the thought process of a star. … We found ways to get him the ball in the places that he succeeds in. He’s done a great job work on exploiting these opportunities.”