It’s a nightly gauntlet. Darius Garland one night, LaMelo Ball the next. Then it’s Trae Young, Damian Lillard, Tyler Herro, and Jalen Green. Tyrese Haliburton, Cade Cunningham, Tyrese Maxey and Zach LaVine follow. Add Cam Thomas, Jordan Poole, and, oh yeah, Devin Booker to the mix. The NBA is a guard’s league, and defending the point of attack in today’s game is one of basketball’s toughest assignments. For the Knicks, that task falls to Mikal Bridges, the player Tom Thibodeau has tasked with anchoring the team’s perimeter defense. Bridges’ role is an adjustment from his previous stops with the Suns and Nets. In New York, he is expected to handle the nightly grind of guarding the league’s most explosive guards — a responsibility amplified after the Knicks traded five first-round picks to acquire his services. And yet, the Knicks have struggled to contain opposing guards this season, with high-scoring performances becoming a regular occurrence. The blame has naturally fallen on Bridges, but Thibodeau was quick to defend his forward ahead of Sunday’s tipoff against the Nets, framing the team’s issues as a collective problem rather than an individual shortcoming. “The guards are very dynamic,” Thibodeau said. “You’re not guarding great players individually. Usually, there’s a dribble handoff, there’s a pick-and-roll, there’s a pin-down, there’s multiple actions involved.” The Knicks’ defensive issues have also been compounded by injuries. Mitchell Robinson is recovering from ankle surgery, Precious Achiuwa remains sidelined with a hamstring strain and the center position has been thin behind Karl-Anthony Towns. Jericho Sims and rookie Ariel Hukporti have filled in at times, but the absence of a true defensive anchor has exposed vulnerabilities in New York’s scheme. “He can be better. I think we can all be better. I think we’ve all had frustrations at times trying to figure things out, but we knew it would take time,” said Knicks forward Josh Hart. “None of us thought it was going to be an easy, seamless transition. We’re gonna be going pound-for-pound to be undefeated with Cleveland, like nah. We knew it was gonna take time, and now we’re just gonna continue to fine-tune.” The challenges have been evident in early-season games. Jayson Tatum erupted for 37 points in the season opener, Garland dropped 34 in Cleveland’s win at MSG, and Herro, Haliburton,and Thomas each had field days against the Knicks. Bridges, often the primary defender in these matchups, has shouldered much of the criticism but has acknowledged areas for improvement. Thibodeau, however, emphasized that defense is a team effort and used a baseball analogy to illustrate the point. “It’s not like baseball, where there’s a hitter and a pitcher,” Thibodeau said. “There are five guys who have to be moving together. There’s so many variables. Is the shell tight behind it? Are the bigs in the proper position? Are we attached properly? If one guy is out of position, it’s going to make everyone look bad.” Hart echoed the need for a collective approach, highlighting the importance of starting games with urgency. “We just have to have a better sense of urgency to start games and not let guys get into rhythms. You know when guys get hot and guys get in rhythm, then you’re trying to shut them off, and it’s tough. It’s difficult to do,” he said. “So we’ve gotta do a better job of coming out aggressive, physicality, making the extra effort and not easing our way into the game.” Still, the responsibility ultimately falls on Bridges, the centerpiece of the Knicks’ offseason and the player expected to elevate their defense. The early struggles may raise questions about whether he’s up to the task, but as Thibodeau noted, improvement will require a group effort — and time.