前言: In the 2018 NBA Draft, when Mikal Bridges learned that he was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers in , the tenth pick in the first round, , he was very excited. Embracing her mother tightly. After years of hard work, he finally realized his original dream, and it is a wonderful thing to play for his hometown team. However, after the draft, Bridges was traded to the Suns by the 76ers. The mature Bridges also accepted the incident calmly. Compared with the 76ers, the Suns in the rebuilding period can give him more opportunities to display his talents in the league and help him adapt to the rhythm of the NBA faster. Now, Bridges has been firmly in the sun's main rotation lineup, and is expected to become the answer to the Phoenix striker.
When graduating from high school, Bridges was ranked outside the 100th place in the top high school students in the United States. Almost no one could have imagined that this teenager would enter the NBA in the future, and it would be a lottery show. Identity. After joining Villanova University, Bridges first started from the bench and improved his competitive level through hard training. By the junior season, Bridges became the core player of the school team, and helped Villanova University win the NCAA championship and achieve its double crown in three years. Bridges' draft market has also risen sharply. 's comprehensiveness at both ends of offense and defense makes him highly optimistic, and he is known as the best 3D wing in 2018.
In the rookie season, despite the large number of Suns forwards and fierce competition; however, former Suns coach Kokoshkov still values Bridges’ abilities and gives him plenty. Playing time. As an older rookie, Bridges has good immediate combat power and good team attributes. His performance on the defensive end has been recognized and praised by the coach. Bridges averaged 1.57 steals per game, ranked first among the draft players in the same session, and was also the leader in the entire league. He quickly adapted to the NBA-level confrontation intensity.
This season, with competitor Kelly Ubre’s upper position, Bridges’ playing time has not increased but decreased, and his average shots per game has also slightly decreased. From the basic data, he has not made any obvious progress. However, his scoring efficiency has really improved. Last season, Bridges' shooting percentage was only 43%, and his true shooting percentage was 55.6%. And this season, his shooting percentage has reached 51.6%, and his true shooting percentage has also increased to 62.2%. With the addition of "Golden Boy" Rubio, the Suns' offensive system has been greatly improved. Bridges obviously benefited from it, and his off-ball ability was further stimulated. Although Bridges is not the core of this team, he knows how to use the correct method to interpret his value and has the opportunity to become the best choice for the team's striker. Next, we will analyze what Bridges means to the Suns based on his offensive and defensive performance this season.
Mikal Bridges's performance on the offensive end
Compared to the "chaos master" Kelly Ubre, Bridges who does not have the ball More suitable for starting small forward candidates. Bridges' possession of the round was only 12.2%, ranking 306th in the league. Because he does not have a certain degree of offensive ability with the ball, his contribution on the offensive end mainly comes from offensive offenses, through autonomous running or assists from teammates to get shots. Bridges' role is positioned as a 3D forward swingman, and his offensive style tends to be a magic ball. His scoring area is concentrated in the basket and beyond the three-point line, and the proportion of mid-range shots is very low. Bridges has 40.3% of his shots from the basket and 38.1% of his shots from outside. He hits 73.8% from the basket, showing that his finishing ability at the basket has reached the league's top level. In fact, Bridges can have such an efficient performance at the basket and his excellent off-ball consciousness is inseparable. He can quickly find the opponent's defensive loopholes, cut into the basket and receive a pass from his teammate to complete the finish.
In the last season of playing for Villanova University, Bridges averaged a 43.5 percent field goal and made 2.6 three-pointers per game, providing the team with plenty of outside firepower. But after entering the NBA, he failed to continue his outstanding performance on the outside. This season, Bridges shot 35.2% from three points and averaged 0.9 three-pointers per game. Only in the low-corner position can his three-point shooting rate be maintained at about 40%, exceeding the league average. The three-pointers in other positions on the perimeter are unsatisfactory, especially at the top of the arc. Bridges didn't know how to make a three-pointer, and his three-point shooting percentage was only 35.5%. When the opponent is 4-6 feet away from him, his three-point shooting percentage is only 30.9%, which is obviously very low. As far as Bridges' current three-point shooting ability is concerned, he is not yet a space point with outside threats. He averaged 2.4 three-pointers per game and 1.4 of them were in wide open positions. The opponent would rather empty Bridges, turn to the inside to shrink the defense, and wait for the rebound. This will put more pressure on teammates inside, and will have a negative impact on the team's rebound protection. Therefore, Bridges urgently needs to improve the stability of three-point shooting and get back the feel of outside shooting.
Bridges does not have a variety of scoring methods. The offensive methods mainly include fixed-point shooting, conversion offense and air cut layup. Because of the poor three-point shooting and no shots from the distance, Bridges' scoring gains in fixed-point shooting are very low. He can only score 0.85 points per round, which is less than 70% of players in the league. This season, the Suns shot 60.1% on the fast break, ranking fourth in the league. In this environment, Bridges' ability to switch offense has also greatly improved. He can get 1.43 points per round by switching offense, which has reached a very high level. As mentioned earlier, Bridges's off-ball ability is more prominent, and the enthusiasm for interspersing positions is high. He has excellent tactical skills and can perform off-the-ball missions well. Bridges made an 83.6% free cut layup, which even many inside players can't do. On the whole, Bridges’ offensive methods are mostly off-ball type, and there are very few scenes of attacking with the ball.
Summary:Bridges's offensive performance is quite satisfactory and his contribution is limited. In order to better help the team, he also needs to improve his offensive ability, thereby expanding his influence on the offensive end and improving his role in the tactical system. Bridges can start from the following two aspects. One is to strengthen the ability of three-pointers and strive to become a mass-produced outside shooter. The other is to develop the ability to hold the ball and develop into a more comprehensive forward player. With solid basic skills, Bridges still has room for improvement and can become a high-quality 3D player.
Mikal Bridges' performance on the defensive end
Bridges has a good static talent, 2.01 meters height and 2.18 meters wingspan conditions allow him to defend. The end has a lot to do. In his college career, Bridges started as a defensive player and gradually grew into the defensive gate of the school team. After entering the NBA, the defensive skills he trained gave him the capital to establish a foothold in the league and become a defensive player that his teammates can trust. This season, Bridges' defensive efficiency reached 104.4, the best performance among the Suns outside players. In addition, he averaged 1.43 steals per game, ranking 17th in the league. And he averaged 2.2 fouls per game. Compared to Oublay (1.27 steals, 3.43 fouls), Bridges does a better job in controlling the number of fouls and has good defensive habits. The second-year Bridges is the first choice for the Suns to defend the opponent's main attacker. At critical moments, the team coach is more willing to keep him on the court to limit the arrow figures in the opponent's line to perform tough tasks.
Limited by the thin body, Bridges' single defense effect is not very ideal. Under his defense, the overall shooting percentage of opposing players slightly increased by 0.1%. When facing a heavy guard or a strong striker, Bridges will be at a disadvantage in physical confrontation. Multi-position defensive attributes make his defensive ability very prominent. He can defend from position 1 to position 3, and sometimes defend against position 4 players. Therefore, Bridges is a high-level defender with both inside and outside. Outside defense is his focus on the defensive end, but he will also walk around the basket to help teammates on the inside improve the quality of the team's frame protection. In the defensive area within 6 feet of the basket, the opponent's field goal percentage drops by 2.6%, which is difficult for many outside players to do. The value of Bridges on the defensive end should also be reflected in the defense, defense and other aspects. Supporting teammates with limited defensive ability is also an important part of his defensive work. The defensive bridges is already an indispensable barrier for the sun.
Summary: Bridges has the potential to become a top defender on the perimeter, and there is still a certain gap between him and that level. He also needs to continue to hone his defensive skills, accumulate defensive experience, and improve his defensive capabilities. In the Suns' defensive system, Bridges is already an elite defender. His presence has injected more vitality into the team and made up for the team's many loopholes on the defensive end. Bridges will be the core of the Suns' perimeter defense, and the defensive abilities of both he and Ayton determine the lower limit of the team's overall defensive quality.
Conclusion:
As a 3D wing, Bridges has unique competitiveness in the small ball era. If his offensive ability improves greatly, he can become the ace player of the Suns forward. Bridges has a professional attitude of hard work, which will help him become a better player. I look forward to Bridges becoming the top 3D player and the most powerful helper around Sun Gemini.
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