Nets’ Mikal Bridges receives seventh-most All-Star votes in first fan returns
While Mikal Bridges has not had the season that many expected from him following his explosion onto the scene for the Brooklyn Nets last season, he is still getting the love from the fans when it comes to the All-Star Game.
The NBA announced Thursday on its own “X” account the first fan returns for the upcoming All-Star showcase. In those returns, Bridges received the seventh-most votes (203,009) amongst Eastern Conference frontcourt players.
While it seems that Bridges can play both guard and forward given his versatility as a two-way player, it looks like for the purpose of the All-Star Game that he’s being viewed as a forward. He received more votes than Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero, Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma, and Boston Celtics forward Kristaps Porzingis.
Prior to Friday’s home game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Bridges, 27, is averaging 20.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 45% from the field and 35.3% from behind the three-point line.
In 27 games last season for the Nets after coming to Brooklyn via the Kevin Durant trade, Bridges averaged 26.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game while shooting 47.5% from the floor and 37.6% from deep.
Despite how down bad the Brooklyn Nets are, Mikal Bridges has the 7th-most votes among Eastern Conference frontcourt players for the All-Star game. I assumed that Bridges would be receiving voting as a guard, but he is a wing player so the position can go either way. https://t.co/19Sf2oT16e
— Sharif Phillips-Keaton (@SharifKeaton) January 4, 2024
