Mikal Bridges talks about how he struggles against blitz defenses

Mikal Bridges was in a shooting slump before he had a breakout 38-point game against the Atlanta Hawks. Before that performance, Mikal was facing challenging defensive schemes. That gets even worse when fellow go-to scorer Cameron Thomas is injured because the defense will key in on the former Villanova Wildcat.

The defensive scheme opponents use against Mikal is the blitz, which he struggles against. It happens when Brooklyn runs a pick-and-roll with Bridges as the ball-handler, and the opponents double-team him after the screen. That limits Mikal’s space as he has to force up a pull-up jump shot or make an errant pass to a teammate.

After a couple uneasy reps v drop, Mikal gets to a nice pu2: pic.twitter.com/F7qKBT5ycy
— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) March 2, 2024

“It’s been the past three, four games where it’s been a lot of blitzes and stuff. So I’m always mindful and prepared, but they were just kind of playing drop, and I was like, 'Ok, I like that,’” Mikal said after the Hawks used a drop defensive scheme in the Saturday game. “But yeah, obviously as a player who likes to score, getting blitzed and not getting blitzed is different. But yeah, I guess they changed it, but it was nice.”

Mikal is still growing as an offensive player

Bridges only embraced the go-to scorer role when he got traded to Brooklyn in February 2023. Mikal is still evolving in this role, which means he’ll face some obstacles with getting defended like a star. Blitz defenses against superb ball-handlers are schemes reserved for the best players, so getting the opponents’ respect is a feather in Bridges’ cap.

Mikal will keep evolving as he learns to play against this defensive scheme. He will learn to put his matchups in jail and generate more open looks for his teammates. The experience from being a three-and-D player means Mikal should know how to help his teammates get going, hence why Cameron Johnson was superb in the two wins against the Hawks.

Brooklyn must give Mikal ample support

As one of the team’s cornerstones, Mikal needs support from his teammates. Thomas is the best scorer outside of Bridges, but the rest of the team must improve. Johnson should be more consistent, and bench players like Lonnie Walker IV and Dennis Smith Jr. should contribute.

Brooklyn is a talented team that still has untapped potential. Mikal is at the forefront, but the rest of the team can succeed when they’re all playing in the right situation.

Mikal is still growing as an offensive player

Brooklyn must give Mikal ample support

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