Do the Brooklyn Nets have enough to maximize Mikal Bridges’ prime?
The Brooklyn Nets are in the midst of an era where they are prioritizing the correct rebuild, no matter how long it takes. While Brooklyn is expected to be an average team without the services of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, the Nets are still in position to be a good team for years to come.
One of the reasons for Brooklyn having a solid future ahead of them is guard Mikal Bridges. Bridges, 27, came to the Nets in the middle of last season as a result of the Durant trade to the Phoenix Suns. Once Bridges got to Brooklyn, he showed the Nets fanbase and the entire NBA world that he was ready for the challenge of being the best player on a team looking to make it to the playoffs.
One question that has come up is if Brooklyn will be able to exceed their expectations for the current status of the franchise and be better than just perennial first-round playoff exits. The short answer is that the Nets are set up for success for years to come thanks to Bridges, Ben Simmons, Nic Claxton, and Cam Johnson.
Also, thanks to the trades of Durant and Irving, Brooklyn has some significant draft capital that they can either use to find another player to be part of the team’s future or include in a deal for an established star-level player if this season starts off better than projected. Assuming that Simmons, who has looked great in Brooklyn’s first two preseason games, eventually gets back to his prior All-Star form, the Nets could surprise people this season.
In the end, Brooklyn has a solid core of players who are young and are either in their prime or are about to enter the prime of their careers. Claxton is under contract for just this season so he is due for an extension and presumably should get it. The present is bright for the Nets and they should be able to make something happen with this current group of guys.
