Mikal Bridges' career has been as stable as a piece of paperweight, he has played 365 consecutive regular season games, twice as much as second-placed Rooney, his finger dislocated and he has to give him the name "Iron Man". In the past five years in the league, it has steadily improved every year, from a fledgling 3D forward to the threshold of an all-star.
But even as prosaic, Bridges has experienced two changes that left his brain blank. One happened on the night of the 2018 draft, when his mom, Rivers, a 76ers executive, was told before she could rejoice in the selection of her son for her hometown team — the team sold Bridges to the Suns.
"My son's agent's phone was buzzing all the time and they looked at me and said Mikal had been traded. I froze: What? Where is it? ”
Rivers was frightened to jump, on the one hand, his son had to leave his hometown and his wings to go to a team in the West that he did not know well; On the other hand, the 76ers traded Bridges, the No. 10 pick, for Zaire Smith and a first-round pick three years later. Smith has only played two years in the league, and that first-round pick turned into bench gangster Terence Mann, who is already averaging 19 points per game this year.
Another change occurred this year, when the new owner of the Suns just sat in the office and made the most important decision since Paul joined: send Bridges in exchange for Durant. The first fire on the new officer's presidency burned out, and Bridges didn't learn until he videochatted with Damian Lee that he had been sold east.
"I only knew about it on Twitter, and I only had two words in my head: oh my God."
Bridges was transplanted into the Nets as soon as he took root in the Suns, and young people have always invested too much personal emotion in the business world, writing emotionally: "I don't even know where to start, I just want to thank Phoenix, and especially the Suns, for everything they did to bring a kid who was traded by his hometown team to a new home and calm his resentment, and I never thought about leaving here." ”
The Suns don't want him out of here either, and according to the normal script, as Paul ages, Bridges will become the new core of the Suns, and Phoenix will have a spectacular three-day volley. But it takes time to achieve this scene, and what they lack most at the moment is time, so the Suns made the most correct decision from a commercial perspective, but they didn't expect that the Durant in exchange for it was fragrant, and the Bridges sent away also became a new generation of Durant - especially in some freeze-frame pictures, Bridges raised his slender arms to project the mid-range look, really as if Durant never left.
Since joining the Nets, Bridges has averaged 26 points, 5 rebounds and 1 steal per game, shooting nearly 50% from three-point range, breaking the threshold of the 180 club, and about to step into the 190 club, from the basket to the mid-range to the three-point line, Bridges' shooting rate is like a red flag, all approaching the top level of the league. He played 13 games with the Nets, scoring 30+ points in six of those games, compared to 30 points in only two of the 365 games he played with the Suns.
Although it is not possible to fully benchmark Durant, who averages 30+7+5 per game, Bridges has greatly exceeded expectations, and the sudden increase in ball possession and usage will bring an additional burden, reducing the efficiency of the new core, as VanVleet, Deontay Murray and Siakam have repeatedly demonstrated. Bridges bucked the trend, his efficiency did not decrease but increased, and after a month, he did not mean to hit the wall at all.
"Because I was traded at the right time, before I left the Suns, I was just going to play a bigger role on the offensive end and play aggressively, and after I was traded to the Nets, I was in this good rhythm and I was confident. It's a really good time for me. Bridges gave his answer.
Specific to the game, that is, Bridges' big long arms, inherited from his mother, in addition to defensive steals, more and more have the feeling of attacking with the ball and shooting dryly.
Bridges' arm span is 2.18 meters, only 3 centimeters shorter than Leonard's 2.21 meters, and considering that Bridges is 3 centimeters shorter than Leonard, both are in the same level of long arms. Bridges' career path is also very similar to that of his predecessors, starting with defense, first becoming an outside defensive gate (Monty even let him defend his back), then improving the level of no-ball, shooting and finishing efficiency, and when the time comes, increasing his offensive role with the ball. Even this tactic and action of "catching the ball and dribbling two steps" seems to be portrayed in a mirror image.
Attacking from outside the three-point line, dribbling two steps and then pulling at the free throw line, Bridges inherited the essence of the classical forward masters, his dry extraction increased year by year, reaching peak in the Nets, but always being very efficient. The dislocation advantage that stars rely on to break through the "superstar ceiling" can also be achieved by a pair of long arms.
Even on the outside, Bridges can perform a modern trick of pulling back three-pointers, and as a standard small forward, Bridges doesn't produce much three-point shooting, but in key moments, this can also be his killer weapon.
Bridges got more balls in the Nets, naturally had more blocking opportunities, and after a long time watching around Paul and Booker, Bridges began to enjoy the fun of covering the wall. Once he combines three-pointers with blocking, his offensive threat will be even higher.
With the help of blocking, Bridges can not only play the role of Middleton and McCollum, but also use his body to carry the ball into the box and complete the finish with a long arm.
Although the forward change of direction and control ability are not as good as Leonard's, Bridges' breakthrough with the ball has improved rapidly, handling the ball decisively, and simple and effective movements, which is a major feature of him.
Bridges played more than just heroic balls in the Nets, with Dinwiddie and Ben Simmons in control, coupled with the Nets' (forced) team-type style, combined with his no-ball level, Bridges can be described as a tiger: "We are united as a unit, as a team." Feeling your teammates shoulder to shoulder with you is the most important thing. ”
This ball can be described as the classic round of the current Nets: Bency's freehand long pass from the backcourt, Bridges lightly soothes the ape's arm, grabs the basketball, and leans back near the free throw line, making people can't help but say "Lie down, stupid... Good ball" sound.
In addition to individual offense, Bridges' passing ability is also worth watching, as the number of ball-holding scenes increases, he is more and more able to play the role of offensive engine, cross the bottom corner shooter, fake the real pass inside, use the pass to lead the weak side teammates in the air... Bridges' passing isn't as straightforward as Paul and Jokic's, nor is it as accurate as a cannonball, but it also highlights a steady and clear mind.
Mikal Bridges' career has entered an upward path, like a Kakarot unloading load, the combat power is soaring rapidly, and a new sun is rising in Brooklyn. The Suns will not regret it, after all, they exchanged for Durant, but the Nets will not regret, they are even extremely excited, every night Bridges cut 30+, they will be shining to tears by the dazzling brilliance of this sun.
Dinwiddie said: "No one would have thought Mikal's attack was so good. The "people" in this naturally include the Suns, who traded Durant for the playoffs. In the Nets' view, when the playoffs come, they may get a bigger surprise here at Bridges.