76ers vs. Nets: De'Anthony Melton Has Praise for Mikal Bridges

Before making a name for himself with the Memphis Grizzlies, De’Anthony Melton started his career as a member of the Phoenix Suns. Playing with the Suns, Melton was teammates with current Brooklyn Nets standout Mikal Bridges.

The two former teammates will battle it out this weekend in the NBA Playoffs, with Melton donning Sixers threads.

At this point, both Bridges and Melton are at different points in their careers compared to the 2018-2019 season in Phoenix. Melton has gone from averaging five points per game as a rotational piece on a playoff-hopeful roster to averaging nearly 30 minutes on the floor for a contender.

Meanwhile, Bridges has gone from a key role player on a championship-hopeful Suns team to being the current face of the Nets as he’s shined in a more prominent role in Brooklyn.

“Man, I'm excited for him,” Melton said of his former teammate. “I mean, we stayed in contact the whole time. You know, just talking and chopping it up with each other here and there and stuff like that. So I'm really excited. I'm really proud that he's got an opportunity that he wants. He kind of has his own team really, and he's playing the game the right way, he's getting to his spots, so I'm excited to play against him. Excited to see him again. It's gonna be fun.”

Prior to joining the Nets this season, Bridges was averaging 17 points per game in 56 outings for the Suns. While he was putting up career-best numbers, Bridges took his game to another level after the trade deadline. The emergence has shocked some, but Melton saw it coming.

“I think our first year, we were just talking about stuff like that, you know, it's his style of play,” Melton continued. “I love it so much because he played the right way. He’s good to make the open pass, but also he could shoot, gets downhill, he’s athletic enough to score.”

In 27 games for the Nets, Bridges averaged 26 points while spending roughly 34 minutes on the court per game. On Saturday, Bridges and the Nets will meet with Melton and the Sixers for Game 1 of their first-round series.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.

SIXERS VS. NETS PREVIEW

76ers vs. Nets Schedule: The Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets will battle it out in the first round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs. On Wednesday afternoon, the NBA announced the full series schedule, which begins on Saturday. READ MORE

James Harden’s Health: Before the regular season concluded, Sixers star guard James Harden was battling Achilles soreness, which forced him to miss a handful of games down the stretch of the year. Since preparation for the playoffs began, Doc Rivers addressed how Harden has looked. READ MORE

Complimenting the Enemy: The MVP race is a hot topic. As Joel Embiid could potentially win the award, Nets forward Mikal Bridges dished his thoughts on the state of the MVP race, claiming that Embiid should be the one to win it this season. READ MORE