Of all the former Phoenix Suns players in today's NBA, few have a better endorsement of The Valley than Mikal Bridges. Fans were devastated when he was included in the package that got them Kevin Durant – and if you whisper it – there are some who would reverse that trade if they could.

Bridges played for the Nets for a few seasons, but this summer he reunited with his Villanova friends (sorry Donte DiVincenzo…) when he landed with the New York Knicks. Now with a real contender including Karl-Anthony Towns, this represents Bridges' best chance to win a championship since he made it to the 2021 NBA Finals with the Suns.

When Bridges played for the Suns, the biggest detriment to his game was that his shooting form – despite being a fantastic defender – left a lot to be desired. Still, in five seasons in Phoenix, he managed to shoot 37.5 percent from distance on more than four attempts per game. This unlocked the best version of the team he played on and Bridges became their “3-and-D” specialist.

Ironically, that's exactly what the Suns' first-round pick could experience this summer. Ryan Dunn was selected as a wing stopper who didn't have a reliable shot, but he went an impressive 6 of 11 from deep in a preseason win over the Denver Nuggets. There's a reason he's being compared to Bridges early on.

But looking at the video above, it looks like Bridges has taken a huge step backwards in his shooting form since joining the Knicks. Although these shots went into the goal, it's hard to imagine that this form would be effective in a real basketball game. It looks like he's trying to shoot the ball into the net.

Bonus points here if you can also spot Cameron Payne, the former Suns point guard, at the bottom of the picture, whose own shooting performance is often criticized. Payne has been one of the most controversial players the team has had in recent years – a general with limited playing field, but someone who had some nice playoff moments – and he will compete for minutes in New York.

But how Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News As Bridges pointed out, he has already told the media in New York that he is trying to get back to the stroke he had in college. However, the early returns have not been good, and even though Bridges is now a rival, fans will still be sad to see a player they idolized so much have such a strange development in the way how he shoots the ball.

But why did he even feel the need to change it? When the Suns were true contenders, it never hurt to have Bridges on offense, although Devin Booker, Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton certainly helped. Only the Knicks have Towns, Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby, so there are similarities between the two rosters (although that's certainly the case with Anunoby). not Bookers).

Bridges started 298 of 365 regular season games in The Valley, averaging 32.7 minutes and 14.7 points per game. However, in the postseason, despite a decline to 13.1 points, he started in all 39 games in which he appeared, playing 35 minutes per night. Not to mention the elite defensive skills that have contributed to the rise of this group. Bridges wasn't broken, so is his shot trying to fix it?