No Kevin Durant, no Kyrie Irving? No problem for the Brooklyn Nets.
GM Sean Marks did a solid job of recouping draft assets and talent after trading away their disgruntled stars, and they might be on to something quite special this season.
As a matter of fact, it didn’t take long before newcomer Mikal Bridges proved that he could be a superstar in this league as well.
In just his third game with his new team, Bridges torched the Miami Heat for 45 points, helping the franchise make NBA history.
With that performance, the Brooklyn Nets are now the only team to have four different players score 45+ in a game in a single season, joining Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Cam Thomas.
Mikal Bridges had a career-high 45 points tonight making him the 4th Net with a 45-point game this season. (Cam Thomas, Kevin Durant & Kyrie Irving)
That is the most individuals to score 45 points by a single team in NBA history. @EliasSports pic.twitter.com/keT5wb58vN
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 16, 2023
Bridges will be asked to do plenty of heavy lifting offensively, with fellow former Phoenix Suns Cameron Johnson serving as the Robin to his Batman.
Of course, losing superstars like Irving and Durant is always tough, and chances are they won’t be as good in the playoffs as they would’ve been with those two.
But Bridges has become one of the league’s rising stars thanks to his lockdown defense, and he’ll now have the green light to take as many shots as he needs to make his offensive game catch up.
The Nets might not be contenders right away, but at least they managed to get some valuable assets in return.
And with the way this team is playing on the defensive end, they have Dark Horse potential in the postseason.
NEXT: Nets Coach Reveals The Challenge With Ben Simmons
