Mikal Bridges has struggled during the early going and despite his huge contract, he has been benched by Knicks coach Mike Brown during the fourth quarter in three games, Ian Begley of SNY notes. That includes the Knicks’ win over the Nets on Monday.

“Yeah, he’s just got to keep playing. Everybody goes through those ups and downs throughout the course of the season, and obviously, it’s the beginning of the season right now, so he’s got to find his way,” Brown said. “Not just with him but with everybody, when you’re in a funk you gotta find one or two things to hold your hat on. Mikal is one of the best runners in the NBA. In both directions — offensively and defensively. So he’s just got to try to hang his hat on that as well as his cutting and trying to do the other little things — rebounding and driving and touching the paint and spraying it. Then this shot will come eventually.”

Bridges, who averaged 14.4 points last season, is averaging 6.1 points on 30.8 percent shooting. He shot 1-for7 from the field against Brooklyn.

Here’s more on the Knicks:

• Josh Hart will not suit up for their game against Chicago on Wednesday. He’s been ruled out due to ankle soreness, James Edwards III of The Athletic tweets. Hart has started all seven games this season, averaging 31.7 minutes per game.
• Other than Bridges, the starters have all logged plenty of minutes. Brown aims to change that in the short run, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post writes. Brown used 12 players against the Nets. “I wanted to use a 10-man rotation. There were a couple of games I think I went to nine,” he said. “I hate saying this — I want to win, I’m going to try to win, but I’m not going to do that to the detriment of our group later on. So, I’ve got to find the balance of how to use my bench a little better to give these guys some more needed rest during the course in games, so they’re not at 35, 36, 37 minutes right now. I thought that helped us out a lot last year. We’ll up their minutes as the year goes along. I haven’t been too good with that so far this year.”
• They re-signed Jordan Clarkson on a one-year, veteran’s minimum contract this summer and it’s looking like a wise investment. Clarkson had an 18-point game against Chicago and provided a spark with seven points in 11 minutes against the Nets. Moreover, Clarkson is willing to do whatever is asked of him. “A lot of (his minutes) are based on the feel,” Brown said, per Edwards. “What makes him so unique and, obviously, I’ve been part of teams that have those types of players, and those teams usually have success. You have a veteran who has been there and done that, and he’s willing to accept a role that most guys wouldn’t accept, even guys who are younger and haven’t proven as much as he’s proven in this league. He’s the ultimate team player. I’ll say this about (Clarkson): I’ve been around some good teammates when it comes to players. He’s got to be the best. He’s the definition of ultimate pro.”