Brooklyn Nets guard Mikal Bridges has been an interesting player for the Nets as he is in a spot of having to be one of the top scoring options on a nightly basis. That position has Bridges in the crosshairs of opposing defenses and as such, he has had some extended shooting slumps as he learns to navigate that part of his development.
Bridges put up 24 points and six rebounds in Thursday’s 115-108 loss at the Milwaukee Bucks and that scoring outburst was the first time that he scored more than 17 points since Mar. 13. Also, it was the first time that Bridges shot better than 38.5% from the field so he has had quite the struggle with his shot in the meantime.
To be more specific, Bridges’ also has been with shooting the ball inside the three-point arc than outside of it. After Thursday’s loss at the Bucks, Bridges is shooting just 39.2% from the field and 43.5% from deep. It seems that he is struggling with his mid-range game and isn’t getting many free-throws to stabilize his scoring over time.
One thing that served Bridges well against the Bucks was the fact that Cam Thomas appeared to be the focus point of their defensive gameplan, allowing Bridges to get easier shots until he found his shooting touch. Bridges spoke after the loss about the slump that he’s now coming out of:
“My shot been feeling good for a long time and even a couple slumps where I was missing a lot, I was feeling so good so that’s why it was frustrating because in practice and shootaround, my jump shots feel really good. So, just try to keep defense honest. Make them have to guard you even closer so then you could have an advantage to attack them.”
[lawrence-related id=58015,58008,58003]