It’s no secret that Mikal Bridges has struggled this season.

He is averaging 5.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists on 32% shooting and 26% from the field.

It’s the lowest points-per-game output of his career and by far the lowest shooting numbers of his career. Though Bridges has shown inconsistencies throughout his Knicks tenure, he has been a key cog in their last two playoff runs, one of which ended with a championship.

On Wednesday, after struggling against the Cavaliers, Bridges was once again benched in the fourth quarter.

After the game, New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown was asked about the possibility of sending Bridges to the bench to start the game moving forward, with Landry Shamet being inserted into the starting lineup.

"Mikal has a proven track record of playing at a pretty high level as a starter in this league. For me to make a "panic decision" and change it right now, I'm not feeling it,” he said.

Shamet has drawn a handful of starts this season when Josh Hart missed a couple of games. As a starter, Shamet is averaging 8.7 points on 45% shooting and 33% from three. Overall, Shamet is averaging 9.6 points on 46% shooting and 42% from three.

For the Knicks to return to form, Bridges has to be better.

This was the second game where he was benched in the fourth quarter of a close game.

The previous time came against the Chicago Bulls on October 28, when he played a season-low 13 minutes. He has just two games where he’s scored in double figures, and his season-high is 12 points. After a 1-for-7 shooting night from three against the Cavaliers on November 7, he hasn’t taken a three in the last two games.

The Knicks’ struggles are evident when Bridges is on the court. They have a -5.2 net rating when he’s on the floor and +19.4 net rating when he’s on the bench.

The usual starting lineup of Bridges, Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Karl-Anthony Towns, and OG Anunoby has a -9.6 net rating. Their net rating was +0.5 in the regular season last year, but jumped to +10.9 in the playoffs.

Replacing Bridges with Shamet alongside the other four starters, the Knicks have a +44.1 net rating. The sample size is much smaller, as that lineup has played only 15 minutes, while the usual starting five has played 104 minutes together.

When Bridges is off the floor and the other four are on, they are a +17.3 in 25 minutes.

Even if Bridges isn’t replaced in the starting lineup, playing him less with the starters might be the move going forward.