Former Suns Forward Mikal Bridges Wins Player of the Week Award

Former Phoenix Suns forward Mikal Bridges has been named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week in the midst of the Brooklyn Nets’ three-game winning streak.

Through the Nets’ three games played last week, Bridges averaged 33 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists on 50 percent shooting from the field and 45.5 percent from three.

Bridges’ fantastic week was headlined by a 44-point performance against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday, March 31 - his third game scoring 40 or more since being acquired by the Nets on February 8.

During his time with the Suns, Bridges was always a reliable player for the team that provided great defense and was capable of putting up strong numbers on the offensive end.

However in Brooklyn Bridges has become all of that and more. He is now the number one scoring option and has truly emerged as an All-Star caliber player.

He is helping the Nets maintain their spot in the Eastern Conference playoff picture as they currently sit as the sixth seed with a record of 43-35.

While Bridges has been thriving as a member of the Nets, Phoenix has been phenomenal with Kevin Durant. Despite the short sample size, the Suns are still 6-0 when Durant plays in the lineup which is an extremely encouraging sign as the playoffs rapidly approach.

It is too early to determine a winner of this trade, and if anything, the deal can go down as a win-win trade. Bridges has shown he is able to be the main option on a playoff team while Phoenix seems to keep getting better with Durant.

This trade will still be analyzed for years before a true winner or loser is awarded. The Nets are playing the long game hoping to continue to develop their young players and Phoenix is looking to capitalize on having a player like Durant, aiming to compete for championships over the next few seasons so both teams have completely different paths.

It will be interesting to see how this trade exactly shapes out over the next couple of seasons but one thing is clear, Bridges will always be missed in Phoenix even with Durant playing at a high level.