Hornets forward Miles Bridges has officially hit the next level in his young career as a potential future All-Star in this league.
In ESPN’s 25 under 25 ranking, Bridges joined teammate LaMelo Ball on the list this year, debuting at No. 16 on the list after not being ranked last year.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks spoke on Bridges’ development in his fourth season.
“Bridges has taken a leap in his development, posting career highs in points (plus-7.6 from a year ago with nine 30-point games), rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. After the All-Star break, Bridges averaged 21.2 points on 52% shooting and 40% from deep.”
In 80 games this season, Bridges averaged 20.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game, all career-high’s. Bridges’ improvement in attacking the basket off the dribble and becoming a true three-level scorer has propelled Charlotte’s offense to one of the top in the league.
“Per ESPN Stats & Information research, he is one of five players averaging 20 points, 50% field goal percentage and 40% 3-point percentage since the break. (The other four players are Karl-Anthony Towns, Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum and Devin Booker.) Bridges is a restricted free agent in July.”
For the Hornets to make it out of the play-in tournament and into the postseason, Charlotte will need a big game from Bridges in Atlanta on Wednesday night.
Check out ESPN’s full ranking here.
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