Mikal Bridges' Expectations Going Against 76ers as Nets' Top Guy

Brooklyn Nets star Mikal Bridges discusses his expectations from the 76ers' defense as he's now a "top guy" for his team.

When the Philadelphia 76ers host the Brooklyn Nets for Game 1 of the NBA Playoffs in round one, it won’t be Mikal Bridges’ first rodeo. Being a part of the Phoenix Suns’ last two playoff runs, Bridges has playoff experience under his belt.

However, this season is different for the former Villanova product. In the past, Bridges was considered a talented role player for the Suns. He was a guy that was a core player, producing at least 13 points per game over the last two seasons, but he never received star treatment from defenses. 

Bridges is in a much different situation on the Nets. Since getting traded a few months back, Bridges has become the number-one option for his team. In 27 games with Brooklyn, Bridges averaged 26 points, as he’s taken 19 shots per game.

Going into his first playoff series with the Nets, Bridges anticipates that the Sixers will have a specific gameplan to guard him as he’s now a “top guy” in Brooklyn.

"It's going to be tough for sure,” Bridges said this week, according to ClutchPoints’ Erik Slater. “I mean, I know how game-planning for top players is. I know being the defender guarding the guy, so I know how the scouting can be. I mean, it's a challenge, and it's great. It's great for all of us. All it's going to do is make us better."

When the Sixers concluded their Tuesday afternoon practice session, the young veteran guard Tyrese Maxey confirmed what Bridges thought. Teasing the plan for playing against Brooklyn, Maxey noted that the Sixers couldn’t play Bridges one-on-one but have to implement a “five-man defense” to crowd up the talented forward. 

Bridges has faced the Sixers ten times in his career, excluding last Sunday’s few-second run. In the lone matchup as a member of the Nets, Bridges scored 23 points in 34 minutes. Considering that was Bridges’ Brooklyn debut, the Sixers haven’t seen the best version of the former first-rounder just yet.

Despite that fact, the Sixers are fully prepared to face a much tougher version of Bridges in the upcoming series. 

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