Nets’ Mikal Bridges ranks 33rd in ESPN’s NBA player rankings
The Brooklyn Nets have expectations to be an average team this season as a reflection of how the public view on Brooklyn has shifted since Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were traded last season. Despite that, one outlet has a lot of belief in the Nets’ best player going into this season.
In this season’s edition of the top-100 NBA players by ESPN, Nets guard Mikal Bridges ranked 33rd on the list. This listing puts Bridges just in front of Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving and behind New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson.
Bridges has seen his star rise ever since he came to Brooklyn as a result of the Kevin Durant trade to the Phoenix Suns. In 27 games last season for the Nets, Bridges averaged 26.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 47.5% from the field and 37.6% from deep.
Bridges, the 10th overall pick of the 2018 NBA Draft, goes into this season as Brooklyn’s primary scoring option and as such, he will be on every team’s radar now when it comes to defensive schemes. Here’s what Kevin Pelton of ESPN had to say about Bridges’ ranking on this list:
“Why he rose 16 spots: Already valuable for his defense and spot-up shooting, Bridges added shot creation — which accelerated after he was traded to Brooklyn. Already averaging a career-high 17.2 PPG in Phoenix, Bridges pushed that to 26.1 with the Nets, which would have ranked 16th in the NBA.
Swing skill: Late-game scoring. Bridges played well in Brooklyn, but the missing piece was maintaining his shot creation down the stretch. In 36 clutch minutes (score within five in the last five minutes of regulation or OT) after the trade, Bridges scored 11 points on 2-of-9 shooting, per NBA Advanced Stats.”
