Clippers Select Miles Bridges With 12th Pick, Trade Rights to Hornets
The Clippers selected forward Miles Bridges with the No. 12 pick in the 2018 NBA draft then traded his rights along with two second-round picks to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (the No. 11 pick).
Bridges was a highly-touted recruit coming out of high school. A McDonald's All-American, Bridges chose to play for Michigan State and Tom Izzo over the University of Kentucky.
Unlike many players in the one and done era, Bridges elected to stay for another season in East Lansing to refine his skills. He was very productive in his two seasons with the Spartans, averaging 17 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 2.4 assists.
Jeremy Woo's grade: B-
The Clippers are making this pick for the Hornets, who chose to move down a spot, deal Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and extract additional draft picks in the process. It’s a shrewd decision by Charlotte, and they get a more NBA-ready player in Bridges, but Gilgeous-Alexander would have been a better fit next to Malik Monk long-term and Bridges joins a roster already full of combo-forward types. He should become a useful rotation player for them, and this was opportunistic, but they passed on the chance to select a guy with a bit more upside.
SI.com's Jake Fischer brooke down Bridges's strengths and weaknesses.
Strengths
• A natural-born scorer, Bridges had success spotting up from deep, off screens and in isolation at the college level. He can be an athletic mismatch when correctly utilized.
• Solid rebounder for his height thanks to explosive leaping ability. Has a thick build that allows him to play bigger.
• Bridges athleticism really stands out given his stocky frame. He can play above the rim and power around defenders when he gets downhill. There’s little question he’s physically competent.
Weaknesses
• Bridges made 37.5% of his threes in college but connected on just 33.7% of his pull-up jumpers last season. He’s not a great creator off the dribble, and there’s real concern his isolation scoring won’t translate.
• While he averaged 2.4 assists per game in two college seasons, Bridges created just 0.67 points per possession passing out of pick-and-rolls last season, according to Synergy Sports.
• Where exactly Bridges, an average defender as is, matches up at the next level is a question that will likely need an answer very quickly. He’s built more like a shooting guard but may be best suited as an undersized four-man.
