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Brooklyn Nets forward Mikal Bridges didn’t need to wait for the final returns to assess his NBA All-Star chances, considering that he ranks 10th among Eastern Conference frontcourt players in voting for next month’s All-Star game in Indianapolis.
“I don’t think so this year,” Bridges told Sportskeeda.
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (4,309,630 votes), Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (3,721,002) and Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (3,717,311) will likely start for the Eastern Conference All-Stars, something the NBA will officially announce on Thursday.
Fan voting represents 50% of the total count along with select media members (25%) and NBA players (25%).
What about reserves, though? All 30 NBA coaches vote for seven reserves in each conference, including two guards, three front-court players and two wildcards. Mikal Bridges possesses the various qualities that coaches often value, including consistent scoring, passing and defense.
“I don’t think so. Maybe next year,” Bridges told Sportskeeda. “You have to win and play to the level.”
Brooklyn has hardly reached that level.
The Nets (17-26) rank 11th in the Eastern Conference and have lost 16 of their last 20 games. In Sunday’s loss to the LA Clippers, Brooklyn squandered an 18-point lead in Sunday’s loss to the Clippers as they scored the game’s final 22 points. And the Nets have about 2 weeks before the Feb. 8 trade deadline to assess whether they will make any moves or remain patient with their rebuilding process a year after shipping Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in separate deals.
“Just prepare, watch and wait,” Bridges told Sportskeeda about the upcoming trade deadline. With Mikal representing one of the Nets’ lone bright spots, it seems unlikely Brooklyn would deal him. Bridges entered Thursday’s game against the New York Knicks (30-13) averaging 21.4 points on 45.2% shooting as well as career-highs in rebounds (5.2) and assists (3.7). The New York Post also reported recently that the Nets rejected an offer of four first-round picks for Bridges.
Mikal Bridges wouldn’t accept that news as gospel, saying, “we’ll see when the time comes.” After all, the Phoenix Suns included Bridges as their major centerpiece to acquire Durant from Brooklyn leading into last year’s trade deadline. Since then, Bridges has adjusted to a completely different dynamic.
How has Mikal Bridges fared for Brooklyn this season?
After appearing in the NBA Finals (2021) and in the playoffs (2021, 2022) through 4 ½ seasons with Phoenix, Bridges could appear in the Play-In tournament or end his season in April with Brooklyn. After becoming a dependable two-way player on a star-studded Suns team with Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton and Chris Paul, Bridges has become the No. 1 option on a Nets team that features an injured Ben Simmons (nerve in lower back) and various complementary players (Cam Thomas, Spencer Dinwiddie, Royce O’Neale).
“It’s a walk that he hasn’t walked before,” Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said of Bridges. “It is a strenuous walk to be able to do it every single night and have the challenge of guarding the best dude defensively that night and then also be counted on to score 20 points for us as well to give us a chance to win. I think he’s learned how to manage those expectations and be better at it on a nightly basis.”
It hasn’t been easy. Take the Nets’ loss to the Clippers on Sunday as an example.
Brooklyn opened the game with a 16-0 run, which featured Bridges making two 3s and a pull-up jumper. Brooklyn ended the game allowing the Clippers to score 22 unanswered points. After Mikal Bridges scored to give the Nets a 114-103 cushion with 5:33 remaining, Brooklyn missed its final nine shots and committed two turnovers.
Afterwards, Bridges spoke with a stoic expression that masked a disappointed look. He also appeared conflicted on whether he needed to deliver a stern message to his teammates, encourage them or leave them alone.
“Sometimes it’s tough to know,” Bridges told reporters afterwards. “A lot is happening when the game is going. It’s usually good to rewatch. I feel like we’re playing hard. When they’re on a run, we just have to know how to stay poised. That’s the main message ---stay with it and adjust.”
Mikal’s conflicted approach does not just capture his adjustment with both becoming the franchise’s main focal point and playing on a rebuilding team. Following losses, he often prefers to keep to himself than talk out issues with coaches and teammates.
“If we hadn’t won, he still takes that with him and I don’t think that’s a bad quality,” Vaughn said. Therefore, Vaughn avoids talking or texting with Mikal Bridges immediately after a loss. He will wait until the next day, a process Bridges considers important both to decompress his emotions and to reevaluate the latest contest.
“You need to rewatch the game,” Bridges told Sportskeeda. “It’s tough in-game when you might see something you thought you saw. But when you rewatch the tape, it can be a little bit different. It’s like that a lot. You might think this or that. But when you rewatch it, you may say, ‘Oh okay, he just made that tough shot.’”
Despite nursing conflicting feelings both on how to manage his leadership role and stomach losses, Bridges has stayed dependable on something that has defined his six-year NBA career.
After leading Villanova to two national championships (2016, 2018) without missing a game (a combined 116 regular-season and playoff games in three seasons), Bridges has also played in every possible NBA game. Mikal owns the league’s longest active streak for most consecutive regular-season games (435 and counting).
Mikal Bridges has kept that streak despite conceding he has been “banged up multiple times. He said he has played through dislocated fingers, hurt elbows as well as sprained arms and ankles. Bridges also played against the Lakers last Friday despite nursing a contusion in his right shin.
“I always want to play. That’s how it always is. I always want to go out there and have a chance to win,” Bridges told Sportskeeda. “When I get on the court, I don’t think about it anymore. It’s usually gone. The adrenaline goes. But it’s tough beforehand with the prep and taking care of it. I get as much treatment as I can.”
That routine has enabled Mikal Bridges to stay consistent with both his durability and production. That hardly can make up for the Nets’ issues elsewhere, though.
The 2021-22 DPOY runner-up symbolized that dichotomy during the Nets’ loss to the Clippers. After making shots, Bridges often flashed three fingers to the crowd and to the team’s bench while flashing a smile. As the Nets made mistakes during the Clippers’ come-back efforts, Mikal looked dejected while still competing and encouraging his teammates.
Not quite enough in Mikal Bridges’ view to earn an All-Star nod, let alone show much certainty on what will happen before the trade deadline. Certainly not enough to make the Nets a viable playoff threat.
“You learn being around dudes like that how to manipulate the environment for the better of the group and for the betterment of yourself to be able to move on and be able to take that ownership on,” Vaughn said. “It’s a heck of a task to do in this league every night.”
Mark Medina is an NBA insider for Sportskeeda. Follow him on X, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.
Guess the Lakers players!
