Following the trade of Kevin Durant from the Brooklyn Nets to the Phoenix Suns for Mikal Bridges, the predominant narrative that emerged was heavily centred around Durant. Is Durant worth what was traded? How will he fit alongside Booker? Will his health be a limiting factor in a potential Suns championship run? Bridges received little share of the conversation, especially given the turmoil surrounding the Nets franchise at the time, with Kyrie a big factor in this. While we are still in the infancy of Bridges’ career as a Brooklyn Net, in a small sample size of games it seems the Nets may have been able to acquire a piece with the potential to fill the hole Durant left.
In Phoenix, Bridges was limited to being a ‘3 and D’ prototype due to lion share of offensive production going to Booker, with plenty of other ‘mouths to feed’ on offence, including CP3 and Ayton. This developed Mikal into an extremely efficient user, making the most of limited opportunities that came his way. This season for the Suns he had a 46.3% FG% and shot the 3 at a 38.7% clip. In Brooklyn, Bridges has been given the keys to the city, having an expanded role with more freedom which allows him to showcase his full offensive repertoire. The same efficiency is noticeable in his new role, despite a sizeable increase in usage and shot attempts. Bridges became the first player in NBA history to average 25 points on 51/49/90 shooting splits after 10 games on a new team.
Mikal Bridges entering his superstar era. pic.twitter.com/N3nqDs7weW
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In 22 games since the trade, Bridges has averaged 27.5 ppg on 50.5% FG, 43.4% 3PT and 91.1% FT. Bridges emergence as a reliable scorer has been somewhat unexpected, especially given (since being on the Nets) he’s averaging more points per game than the likes of Kyrie Irving, Ja Morant, Trae Young, Demar DeRozan and Paul George.
“We’re seeing a leap,” says host Doug Norrie on the latest episode of the Locked On Nets podcast about Mikal Bridges. “We’re seeing a superstar leap happening right now.”
What makes Bridges so difficult to guard is his ability to get to his desired spots at ease and knock down mid-range shots, an area he has significantly improved on since his college days. Touted as a prototypical ‘3 and D’ wing, one of his major weaknesses was shot creation. “Bridges displayed some ability to get to the rim off the bounce, but remains more of a catch and shoot guy than a driver (96.4% of his 3 pointers come off of assists). Now, with great physical tools, length and good shooting touch, the pull-up jumper is a weapon Bridges has added to his arsenal and polished over the last few seasons. It now dominates his shot profile post trade to Brooklyn, representing 45% of his shots. On mid-range pull-ups, Bridges is putting up more with 6.3 attempts and shooting better (50.9 percent clip).
“I know the analytics with the threes and layups, but we’re basketball players at the same time, we work on our games,” Bridges said. “Sometimes you can’t get to the rim, you just can’t. There’s a lot of other space on the floor that you can get to. And if you work on it enough and you’re confident enough, those can be your layups.”
What does the future look like for Mikal Bridges?
Pre-NBA, Bridges’ player comparisons were the likes of Otto Porter and Robert Covington. While relatively suitable at the time, it’s clear he’s evolved into a far superior player across the board and has grown out of the ‘3 and D’ prototype. A much more adept comparison to the heights Bridges could reach is a prime Jimmy Butler. Both have a similar stature (Bridges 6’6 vs Butler 6’7) and excel on the defensive end, covering a lot of ground making it difficult for opponents to get clean looks, while effectively playing the passing lanes.
Similarly to Bridges, Butler is extremely efficient, averaging 22.9/5.9/5.3 on 53.7/35/85.1 shooting splits. The comparison is most adept when considering their ability to operate in the midrange. Within the 8-16 feet range, Butler is shooting 48.5%, while Bridges is shooting 47.7%. This becomes lethal when also considering their shooting within 8 feet of the basket – Bridges (59.4 FG%) and Butler (60.4 FG%) and ability to shoot the 3. A defender overcommitting either leads to an easy blow by and drive to the rim, a high percentage midrange if they get beat to the spot driving or a dump/kick out to surrounding players if the big rotates – the true triple threat package.
The wrap up
Mikal Bridges is evolving into an elite player right in front of our eyes and at just 26 years old, he has plenty of room to continue to grow. Bridges effectively uses his natural advantage (7+ foot wingspan) to his advantage, disrupting passing lanes, making shots difficult to get off when defending and also giving him the ability to rise over defenders on his shot when he gets the opportunity on the offensive end.
The biggest knock on Bridges, which is consistent with his scouting report from his college days, is his lack of strength. His 3.8 FTs made on 4.2 attempts show that he doesn’t attack the rim and get to the line a great deal, heavily relying on his natural physical attributes and ability to shoot to give him the advantage on offence. This part of his game is where he will need to focus on the most in order to continue his progression. With that being said, he is an exciting piece which should be the cornerstone of the Nets franchise for the foreseeable future, something Brooklyn fans should be extremely excited about.
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Really good info here, great stuff