Mikal Bridges Opens Up on Criticism: Navigating a Challenging Season with the Nets

When Mikal Bridges arrived in the trade involving Kevin Durant, he was truly amazing. He was playing like an All-Star player, and he made the big blow of losing Durant easier to swallow. Those performances led to some high expectations ahead of the 2023/24 season, but so far, he has been below that level.

Cameron Thomas has taken over as the number-one guy for the Nets. While Mikal is okay with that, he knows the fans have expectations they want to be met, especially since he started the season struggling to shoot the ball.

“I’m not playing where I wanna play, but it’s just trying to figure out the system we're in and offensively, defensively trying to find my groove,” Mikal said in an interview with Taylor Rooks. “I feel Nets fans on me a little bit. Some can be dumb, but a lot of them just care so much and they care about winning as much as I do. So they’ll get on me but for reasons I understand.”

pic.twitter.com/BB8ZMLyNrL
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) November 9, 2023

Mikal is ready to meet the expectations

Having six years of experience in the league, Mikal understands the dynamics of becoming a fan favorite, having previously been adored during his time with the Phoenix Suns. However, he entered a new role with the Nets, and with that, comes different expectations and standards. Mikal is learning more about that each day as he embraces the role of being one of the franchise cornerstones.

A compilation of Mikal Bridges' defense on Kristaps Porzingis last night. Obviously a very draining physical matchup for him, but he battled on switches and broke up multiple possessions. Incredible job. pic.twitter.com/NbKRnBZq4Z
— Sam Cooper (@scooperhoops) November 18, 2021

He is not playing at the level where he wants to play which is a good sign for Nets fans who have been hard on him.

The Villanova product knows the fans are just rooting for their success and they’re coming from a good place. However, Mikal will surely use that as a motivation for him to succeed and play better.

Mikal wants to balance elite offense and defense

During his Suns stint, Bridges was often hailed as the best perimeter defender in the league. He was getting shout-outs for Defensive Player of the Year but that dissipated when he moved to Brooklyn. The versatile wing had to embrace a bigger role on offense which sacrificed his effectiveness as a defender.

At the moment, he senses improvement from the previous season, marking a positive development for the Nets to secure an elite defensive asset like him.

Nets fans can find solace in Mikal acknowledging and addressing some of his struggles this season on both ends. This indicates his commitment to improvement and viewing every message as motivation to excel, demonstrating a positive attitude toward a season filled with ups and downs.

Mikal is ready to meet the expectations

Mikal wants to balance elite offense and defense

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