Mikal Bridges started his NBA career during the 2018-19 season as a member of the Phoenix Suns after he was the No. 10 pick in the 2018 draft, and by his third season, he emerged as a very good 3-and-D wing.
But once he was sent to the Brooklyn Nets in the winter of 2023 as part of the Kevin Durant trade, he blossomed as an all-around offensive threat.
This summer, he was sent across the East River to the New York Knicks, and he will once again have the opportunity to contend for an NBA championship with a Knicks team that suddenly looks formidable.
While on the “Roommates Show” podcast, he said his time in Brooklyn was tough but that it made him a better player, per NBACentral.
Mikal Bridges says going to the Brooklyn Nets made him a better player ?
(? @Roommates__Show / https://t.co/mF0qZVq7IL) pic.twitter.com/lPZ48WINZC
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) September 19, 2024
During his last couple of years in Phoenix, Bridges was on a team that expected to have a shot at basketball’s grand prize, but when he went to Brooklyn, he found himself in a frustrating situation.
The Nets have been rebuilding ever since pulling the plug on their Durant experiment, and they won just 32 games last season.
But Bridges was able to spread his wings with them, and he put up 19.6 points a game last season after he posted 26.1 points in 27 games with the Nets the previous season.
With the Knicks, he will likely be charged with being their third scoring option, but he will also be expected to focus more on defense.
They now have a number of viable two-way wings, including Bridges, OG Anunoby, Donte DiVincenzo and Josh Hart.
Bridges, DiVincenzo, Hart and team leader Jalen Brunson all played together at Villanova University, and the chemistry between them should be a thing of beauty this coming season.
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