Charlotte Hornets: 3 takeaways from 2018-19 preseason

2. Miles Bridges will be fun to watch

The Hornets’ first round pick from Michigan State may not garner as much attention as other rookies currently are, but that could change over the course of the season if he’s as impressive as he was this preseason.

Bridges got plenty of minutes to show off his skills in the preseason. He played 24 or more minutes in four of his five games and scored in double digits each time. He also got to show his skills around the basket.

https://twitter.com/hornets/status/1047632395447541761

Bridges made plenty of highlight dunks and blocks throughout the preseason as well. He was one of the better rookies too. Granted, he had one rough game this preseason, but the good has easily outweighed the bad so far.

Borrego is still working on his full rotation for the team, but Bridges is near the top of his list. While the rookie has been spectacular, both the GM and the coach spoke on tempering expectations when the real season begins, according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer:

"“When you start to play against veterans in games that are real, there is going to be a learning curve,” Kupchak said. “I know he’s a competitor, I know he’s coachable, I know he fits athletically. I don’t think there’s any question there,” Borrego said. “It’s just does he have the ability within a game to make adjustments, to know [the nuances of] who he’s guarding, to not get frustrated from play-to-play.”"

That’s high praise for a rookie and his preseason results show it. It could be an overreaction to a small sample, but Bridges could be a dark horse in Rookie of the Year voting. Even if he isn’t, he’ll be a blast to watch and could be the perfect complement to Kemba Walker for this offense.