Regret to Haunt Knicks Superfan Stephen A. Smith as 8 Year Old Claim Shaming Mikal Bridges’ Villanova Resurfaces

With the Brooklyn Nets sending their primary forward to the Knicks, the trade caught a lot of attention. They recently agreed to trade for Mikal Bridges in exchange for seven draft picks, including a swap and Bojan Bogdanovic. Why is this trade a big deal? For context, Bridges, Brunson, and DiVincenzo joined Josh Hart at Villanova back in 2015. However, critics did not have faith in the squad at the time, despite such potential. Coincidentally, one of them was Stephen A Smith, a hardcore Knicks fan.

Brunson, DiVincenzo, and Bridges were still freshmen, whereas Hart entered his junior year. Following the recent trade, an old First Take clip has been making rounds on Twitter. “Villanova doesn’t have a real NBA prospect on this squad.”, said Stephen A. It is safe to say that this take has aged like milk, as eight years later, the four teammates are some of the most talented NBA players. Not only are they back together, but this sends a message to the East.

The Knicks fell short in the second round versus the Pacers last season. But they’re definitely a contender in the East and with Bridges on the roster, the NY side has a more stacked squad on the offensive end of the floor. Stephen A’s take on the 2015-16 Villanova team not only proved him wrong after winning the national title but also years later, as we’re now witnessing.

A year after Stephen A Smith’s take, Hart was drafted 30th overall by the Jazz who later traded him to the Lakers. The following year, DiVincenzo and Bridges entered the draft as first-rounders. Whereas for Brunson, he was picked by the Mavs at 33rd. As we fast forward, the three have worked their way to become the best talent on their team. The Villanova boys, along with Randle, will be a squad to look out for.

Has Stephen A Smith changed his stance on the Villanova boys?

Right after Woj confirmed the Bridges trade, Stephen A Smith was filled with excitement. The media personality is a big-time Knicks fan and has seen the constant ups and downs of the franchise. Smith was screaming and shouting with excitement, saying, “We crawled last year, we gonna walk, and we close to sprinting. I still think we need another piece, but we have moved in the right direction. I like this”.

Considering their playoff run this year, New York missed Randle in quite a few aspects. DiVincenzo and Hart compensated for Brunson’s breather most of the time, but it wasn’t enough. Bridges is a talented scorer and shooter, which is just what the Knicks need for their star point guard. Brunson’s struggles were visible in his last two playoff appearances. The 6-foot-2 guard handled scoring quite efficiently but still lacked proper support. Mikal Bridges is just the asset to count on alongside Brunson. This upgrade puts the Knicks a few steps ahead of teams like the Celtics and the Bucks. Not to mention the growing potential of their role players.

On the other hand, Milwaukee and Boston might be the only major threat to the Knicks if they play things right. Anunoby, Robinson, and Burks are also great assets, however, some of their roles may be diminished in the following season. It will be interesting to see how Bridges adapts to Thibodeau’s rotations. At best, Bridges will be a player to his liking, knowing that he hasn’t missed a game since his high school days!

What are your thoughts on the Villanova boys’ reunion? Do you think they can make it out of the East? Let us know in the comments.

For more interesting NBA content, make sure to watch our conversation with Leonard Armato, who speaks about the Lakers, Shaq, and more in the video below.