When the Brooklyn Nets had to trade their two superstars, the team’s immediate future looked rather bleak. A rebuild was put in motion, and that usually means a lot of tough stretches and many, many losses. The Nets, however, might have already found their next star.
The idea of getting Mikal Bridges in the Kevin Durant deal is what made the trade bearable in the first place, but by now, landing the Suns’ forward is looking more and more like a homerun. Bridges has widely exceeded expectations, looking like he is turning into the Nets’ next centerpiece right in front of our eyes, and here are three reasons why Bridges can be the Nets’ next star.
3. Bridges is evolving into a true three-level scorer
On a healthy Phoenix Suns team, Bridges was confined to limited scoring options. As a result, he was often dubbed a 3-and-D player, but Bridges is so much more than just that. He is, in fact, shooting exceptionally well from behind the arc, averaging 47.9 percent on threes over 13 games with the Nets. The same efficiency is now noticeable all over the court, however. Over his first ten games with Brooklyn, he put up 51/49/90 shooting percentages and became the first player in NBA history to average at least 25 points while shooting that efficiently over their first ten games with a new team.
Currently, Bridges averages 25.7 points per game, which exceeds his career high by around 8 points. During his recent scoring outburst, Bridges recorded at least 30 points in six games, including a 45-point performance in a win over the Miami Heat. Defenses struggle to contain Bridges all over the floor. Especially noticeable is his increase in volume and accuracy of mid-range pull-up jumpers.
This is a move Bridges likes to resort to when defenses cut off his way to the rim, but he is also capable of going all the way and drawing a foul. Compared to his time in Phoenix, Bridges has been getting to the foul line much more often. That is a valuable asset for the Nets, who do not have many players who get to the line as frequently as Bridges or make free throws at quite the same high level.
A lot of Bridges’ growth into a three-level scorer has to do with the fact that he gets a lot more touches now than he ever did before. With the Suns, the priority was not to put the ball in Bridges’ hands, but with the Nets, that is starting to become the offensive mission. Nevertheless, Bridges isn’t just putting up empty numbers for Brooklyn. Quite often, his scoring has translated into wins, as the Nets now have a 6-7 record since the trade. These six wins include hard-fought victories over two of the best teams in the Denver Nuggets and the Boston Celtics.
Furthermore, an increased amount of shot attempts usually leads to a drop-off in efficiency, but Bridges is proving to be the exception to the rule here. He has not only been taking more shots but also tougher ones since defenses now often set their best defenders on him, and yet, his efficiency has actually improved.
Even against the Milwaukee Bucks’ strong defense, he shot 57.9 percent on field goals, 42.9 percent from three, and 85.7 percent from the free throw line in a loss at the beginning of this month. Further contributing to Bridges’ efficient start with the Nets is the fact he is only averaging 1.5 turnovers over 13 games despite his increased number of touches and newfound responsibility.
2. Bridges is a two-way force
For most of his time in the league, Bridges’ calling card was defense above anything else. As one of the best perimeter defenders in the game today, he was the runner-up for the Defensive Player of the Year award last season.
Bridges takes on the toughest defensive assignment available night after night, and that is not just a figure of speech. Not having missed a single game of his professional (or college) career, Bridges is the NBA’s reigning Iron Man. The two things combined have given him the reputation as one of the most durable players in the league, and the Suns have always relied on him for heavy minutes, but with the Nets, those minutes will only become heavier.
The Nets are still finding themselves, but they already have an identity as a strong defensive-minded team, and Bridges is the backbone of that. At the same time, however, he is also moving to the forefront of their offense. His usage rate has already soared so high that, if he had played the entire season like this, it would be in the top 10 in the league.
While Bridges is surrounded by plenty of other versatile defenders, his workload on that end of the floor will not change much. So, now he will have to learn how to consistently juggle his defensive responsibilities with his new offensive role as the team’s scoring engine.
That is a lot of responsibility, but it also helps Bridges on his path to stardom. Too many stars in the NBA are only stars because they are talented scorers, but they provide little value on the defensive end of the floor. Bridges, however, is turning into a true two-way star player.
1. There is plenty more to come
Everyone knew that Mikal Bridges was a good player and a trustworthy defensive specialist, but few would have guessed that his offensive game would eventually land him in the same conversation as Damian Lillard, Luka Doncic, and Joel Embiid. Bridges already made a leap earlier this season, when he was asked to step up for the injury-ridden Suns in Devin Booker’s absence. He showed his potential in a bigger role, but what he’s been doing since coming to the Nets is far exceeding expectations.
Bridges’ emergence as a star on the rise will make the Nets’ rebuild much easier, as they don’t actually have to start over from scratch. Plus, they finally have some calm stability and are not just the remains of the failed Durant-Irving-Harden super team experiment. Their future looks much brighter now than was initially expected, and there are several reasons for that.
First of all, Bridges is only 26 years old, just entering his prime, and has been under contract for quite some time, which means that the Nets can build around him. Secondly, there is more to come in the future. A jump like the one Bridges has made this season clearly suggests that he has another level to rise to, and with the Nets, he has the opportunity to fully explore that.
It is a big change to go from being a team’s third or fourth scoring option to suddenly being on top of the food chain, and the situation is quite different, too. Earlier this season, Bridges was only holding down the fort as the Suns’ leader while reinforcements were on the way. In Brooklyn, he is surrounded by a capable supporting cast, but superstar power might not be coming to help any time soon.
Luckily, there is no pressure on the new Nets team. They are already doing much better than expected, and Bridges can use the remainder of the season to explore his offensive range and potential as he grows into Brooklyn’s next star.