The defending NBA Champion New York Knicks are off to a tough start this season, going 0-2 in their first two games.

They’ve had tough opponents in the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics, but they are the first defending champions to go 0-2 since the Dallas Mavericks started 0-3 in 2011-12 after winning the championship in 2011.

Any number of reasons can be pointed to as to why the Knicks have started 0-2, but Mikal Bridges’ early struggles have stood out.

In two games, Bridges is averaging just two points per game. He scored four points on opening night against the 76ers, going 2-for-8 from the field and 0-for-2 from three, and was held scoreless against the Celtics, going 0-for-8 from the field and 0-for-5 from three.

While you never want your starting wing to score a combined four points in two games, Knicks head coach Mike tried to offer some encouragement.

"For the most part, most of his looks... I mean, he had three or four wide-open threes. And we want them to make half of them if they're open. But he's got to keep shooting them. And hopefully, they'll eventually go in sooner rather than later, but he's getting the looks that he needs to get. He's just gotta knock them down now,” said Brown.

Bridges has an offensive rating of 84.7, easily the lowest on the team. The team has a 129.8 offensive rating with him off the floor, a 45.1 swing.

Bridges is no stranger to struggling with his shot.

During a six-game stretch in mid-March last season, Bridges shot 29% from the field and 21% from three, averaging just 6.7 points per game. Scrutiny was never higher on Bridges than it was during that time.

He eventually worked himself out of the funk. After that rough six-game stretch, over the next six games to close the month, he shot 50% from the field and 42% from three, averaging 12.2 points per game.

The slow start for Bridges is concerning, and if he knocks down a couple of his looks, maybe the Knicks are 1-1 or 2-0 instead of 0-2, but it’s still early in the season and Bridges has shown the ability to bounce back from these poor starts.

He’s a career 37% shooter from three. He didn’t just forget how to shoot in the offseason. He’s too good of a player to continue to struggle with his shot.

The Knicks face the Orlando Magic next; the Magic have really struggled on the defensive end through two games. Opponents are shooting 38% from three in their first two games.