Even During Shooting Slump, Bridges Helping Depleted Nets Stay Above Troubled Waters
As the clock was winding down on Tuesday night’s 124-104 victory over visiting Orlando, the Nets pulled the ball out, as is typical when holding insurmountable leads.
Nets rising star Mikal Bridges, however, wanted none of that. He understood that this was an “In-Season Tournament” game, where point differential could potentially mean the difference between Brooklyn advancing to the next round as a wild card or missing out altogether.
Bridges was visibly upset when the Nets got into their offense too late and committed a 24-second violation. So upset that he dug in on an otherwise meaningless defensive possession and came up with his fourth steal of the evening before breaking into the court to lay in the final points with 3.9 seconds remaining.
It’s that kind of awareness and leadership that made me less concerned about Bridges’ somewhat substandard start to the 2023-24 campaign. Folks, he’s never going to be Kevin Durant, the all-time superstar for whom he (among other players and draft picks) was traded back in February. But he’s just what this team needs in this period of transition to a new era.
Some folks’ expectations for Bridges this season went off the reservation after he poured in 26.1 points per game with a 47.5/37.6/89.4 shooting split over the 27 games following his arrival in Brooklyn. When those numbers dropped to 20.2 ppg after the Nets’ first ten games, I could sense some anxiety within a significant portion of Nets Nation. His performance in Sunday’s 102-94 win over Washington, where he shot 11-for-29 from the field, including 2-for-14 on three-pointers, dropped his conversion rate from deep to a horrid 26.9%
Sorry, but this was foreseeable. As the news of his status as Brooklyn’s offensive focal point became more widespread, I had figured there was going to be some dip in efficiency. While he can create space to shoot from mid-range areas, he’s not the most adept ballhandler when pressured, and opponents have sent the kitchen sink at him at times, often with physicality beyond what is supposed to be legal. Hence, his average 2.5 turnovers per game, following the six he coughed up to the Magic, which would be a career high if maintained over the remining 71 games.
And by the way, it is Bridges’ intention to appear in every single one of those 71 games. He hasn’t missed one on the schedule since his junior year in high school. After playing 83 games last season, the 42nd player in NBA history to accomplish that feat, Bridges’ regular season streak is currently at 403 games. That doesn’t include his perfect attendance during the playoffs or at the 2023 FIBA World Cup that concluded in September, less than a month before the Nets opened training camp.
No rest for Bridges, who has led the NBA in games, minutes, and miles run in each of the last three seasons, another unprecedented accomplishment, per NetsDaily.com. Let’s also not understate how hard he has to go on both ends of the floor since he’s often tasked with the most challenging defensive assignment among opposing perimeter players in addition to being one of Brooklyn’s primary scoring options. He earned First Team All Defense honors in 2022 and might have been on his way to a repeat if he wasn’t dealt to a team that couldn’t get its act together with so many new pieces down the stretch.
Though Tuesday’s affair wasn’t one of them, seven of Brooklyn’s first ten games went down to crunch time. Per NBA.com, Bridges has been the Nets best player in the “clutch”, as defined as games where the margin was within five points during the last five minutes. He has scored 27 points in 31 clutch minutes on 57% shooting from the floor. Since his three-point marksmanship has been off, he has only taken three such attempts, but that hasn’t hindered him when it came to making the big plays when the Nets have needed it most.
Bridges scored nine points in the final 3:22 to help the Nets hold off the Heat on November 1 and his driving dunk proved to be the game-winner in a two-point victory in Chicago two nights later. When Cam Thomas was felled by an ankle injury on November 8, it took one away Brooklyn’s most successful isolation scorer, according to NBA.com. Still, Bridges was instrumental in the Nets’ closeouts of the Clippers and Wizards in the last week.
Against Orlando, Bridges’ most clutch moment was his recognition of the Tournament, no matter how contrived it may seem to some fans. But he made his presence felt throughout the second half to help the Nets run away with it after falling behind by seven points midway through the third quarter, scoring 12 of his 21 points and registering all four of his steals after intermission.
With the win, the Nets (6-5, 2-1 in the Tournament) continued to show tremendous resolve in the face of the adversity caused by an avalanche of injuries. Though Nic Claxton and Cam Johnson have returned, Thomas and Ben Simmons will continue to be out for at least the next week, starting with Thursday’s rematch in Miami.
Whatever you may think of his start, the Nets wouldn’t have been able to stay above water without Bridges.