Inside The Nets

Jake Fischer applauds Mikal Bridges' stellar role with the Brooklyn Nets

Mikal Bridges has been the most impressive player on the Brooklyn Nets, and people are starting to show appreciation.
Marin Gabric|
© Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

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Brooklyn Nets

After a slow start to the 2023/24 season, Mikal Bridges has quickly turned around and become the best player on the Brooklyn Nets once again. He is playing his usual elite defense and has shown even more growth as an offensive player, serving as the team's number-one option.

Mikal's impact on the Nets is incredible; they need a player like him not just for his skills but also for his amazing personality that brings positive vibes and leadership to the team, a sentiment recognized by national media, including Jake Fischer who made sure to acknowledge the Villanova's product's contributions.

"When he came to Brooklyn in general and the idea of him having to take more of an offensive role, he didn't look at it as an opportunity to just like go get his and become a star. He really looks at things so simply as well; in order for us to win, someone's gotta score, and I think it should be me," Fischer said on the Voice of The Nets podcast.

Mikal is a natural leader

Thanks to his experiences at Villanova with coach Jay Wright and with the Phoenix Suns under mentors like coach Monty Williams and Chris Paul, Mikal became a much better player and stepped into a leadership role in Brooklyn without a moment's hesitation when the opportunity arose.

That Villanova culture remains with Mikal as he is one of the hardest workers in the NBA. He loves to defend the best player while being his team's number-one guy. Thankfully, Cameron Thomas has emerged as another reliable scorer who can help relieve him from go-to guy duties occasionally.

Mikal will lead Brooklyn to great heights

While Mikal has not received an All-Star nod yet, the 2023/24 season will likely be his first campaign for an appearance in the All-Star game. He deserves to be called one of the best players in the league with how well he's been playing, averaging 23.2 points on solid efficiency while still playing elite defense.

Moving forward, Mikal will continue to be a star for Brooklyn while still being the absolute perfect teammate any player would want to have. Thankfully for the Nets and coach Jacque Vaughn, the lanky 27-year-old is happy to be in Brooklyn.

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Marin Gabric
MARIN GABRIC

Marin's love for writing developed in high school but was furthered in college when he took a number of creative writing courses. Doing sports writing felt like an extremely natural continuation, as it furthered his passions in both writing and basketball.  Marin loves the feeling of looking at stats after a game and analyzing what each team could've done better or what they excel in compared to the rest of the league. And the ability to do so for his favorite team, the Brooklyn Nets, is quite special in itself. 

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