Mikal Bridges

New York Notes: Knicks, Towns, Simmons, Walker, Nets

January 3rd, 2024 at 6:30pm CST by Rory Maher

While Sam Vecenie of The Athletic recently said he views the Knicks/Raptors trade as the “Immanuel Quickley trade” rather than the “OG Anunoby trade,” he likes what Anunoby will bring to New York.

According to Vecenie, Anunoby is one of a select few players who can credibly defend all five positions on the court. That defensive versatility, plus his ability to convert threes and make timely cuts, has made Anunoby a “great role player.” The question is if he can develop more on offense, Vecenie writes.

As Vecenie details, while Anunoby has an impressive physical profile and uses it very effectively on defense, he can look a little awkward on offense when given on-ball opportunities, as he doesn’t finish well in the paint and doesn’t have a reliable pull-up jump shot.

Still, Vecenie believes Anunoby has the potential to be “the third-best player on a title team” if he’s in the right situation, and there’s a reason so many teams wanted him. Vecenie also examines what Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn will bring to New York.

Here’s more from the two New York-based teams:

On Run It Back (Twitter video link), Shams Charania of The Athletic suggested the Knicks will “always” have interest in Karl-Anthony Towns, who presumably won’t be going anywhere this season, as Minnesota has the best record in the Western Conference. Towns’ former agent is Leon Rose, New York’s current president of basketball operations.
Even after dealing away Quickley, RJ Barrett and the Pistons’ 2024 second-rounder, there are people within the Knicks who think they have the requisite remaining assets to land a star player, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv. As Begley writes, the Knicks could trade up to four of their own future first-round picks, plus some protected picks from other teams.
Multiple sources tell Brian Lewis of The New York Post that Ben Simmons is “progressing well” in his recovery from a nerve impingement in his lower back, and he’s expected to be cleared to play 2-on-2 when the Nets return home on Thursday. Simmons would then play 3-on-3 and 5-on-5 before possibly being ready to return, Lewis writes. Simmons has been sidelined since November 6. As for Lonnie Walker, who has missed the past 16 games with a hamstring injury, he could return for Friday’s contest against OKC, Lewis adds.
They Nets are spiraling down the standings, having lost four straight and nine of their past 11 games, with the two victories against Detroit. Tuesday’s loss to New Orleans marked a new low point, Lewis writes for The New York Post. Mikal Bridges said the team took its foot off the gas pedal. “We got punched in the mouth and just sat back,” Bridges said. “We didn’t keep going forward after. And that’s on players, right there. It’s going to be like that. They might make a run … you’ve got to have accountability on ourselves to get back up and fight, and besides just lay down. Like I said, I’ve got to do better just personally being more vocal and be more physical and being on both ends. You just can’t let up.”

Nets Notes: Thomas, Walker, Bridges, Suns’ Picks

December 30th, 2023 at 5:15pm CST by Arthur Hill

Cam Thomas isn’t complaining about being removed from the Nets‘ starting lineup, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Coach Jacque Vaughn shook things up Friday night by having Dorian Finney-Smith replace Thomas, who is the team’s leading scorer at 22.5 PPG. The third-year guard said he understands the move and is willing to do whatever is necessary to help the team.

“I’m going to just call it how it is: Everybody wants to start,” Thomas said. “At the end of the day, I want to start, but for what the team needs, I gotta come off the bench where it’s sixth or seventh man, come in and bring energy. So [I’m] just not getting down just staying positive and keep my energy high.”

Lewis notes that the previous starting five that teamed Thomas with Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, Nic Claxton and Spencer Dinwiddie had been among the least efficient units in the NBA, sporting a minus-21.4 net rating that ranked last in the league among those with at least 100 minutes together. Vaughn was concerned that the Nets had been getting off too many slow starts, and he deemed that aspect of the new lineup successful, even though Brooklyn lost on Friday at Washington.

“At the first timeout, we did have a lead at that time. Finished the quarter even,” Vaughn said. “The numbers, they are what they are. That group that was previously starting … I was hoping that we’d be able to be so good offensively that it would cover up some of the holes defensively and just hadn’t, and so that’s what forced the change.”

There’s more on the Nets:

After missing 14 games with a strained left hamstring, Lonnie Walker could be ready to return Tuesday at New Orleans, Lewis states in a separate story. Vaughn told reporters that date isn’t definite, but Walker accompanied the team on its road trip and he’s getting closer to being cleared. “I’m getting there,” said Walker, who hasn’t played since November 30. “Still no timetable, but [Friday] was a very, very huge step forward as far as understanding how my physical aspect as far as movement and jumping and running, how I feel. I felt terrific and probably the best I felt in quite a long time.”
Bridges is averaging career highs in scoring, rebounding and assists, but Brooklyn’s sub-.500 record won’t help his All-Star chances, Lewis adds in another piece. There’s plenty of competition at forward in the Eastern Conference, and his teammates are aware of what’s at stake. “Mikal is playing his way into an All-Star-type of conversation,” Dinwiddie said, “if we can be fortunate enough to keep winning.”
The Nets’ front office is keeping a close eye on the Suns‘ slow start, Lewis observes. Last season’s Kevin Durant trade gave Brooklyn unprotected first-round picks from Phoenix in 2025, 2027 and 2029, along with a potential pick swap in 2028. The Nets stand to benefit greatly if the Suns’ Big Three experiment doesn’t work out.

Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Nets, Bridges, Knicks

December 28th, 2023 at 7:57am CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors made a change to their starting five on Wednesday, inserting Gary Trent Jr. into the lineup in place of Dennis Schröder. As Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca writes, the previous starters are the only five-man group in the NBA this season that has played at least 175 minutes and been outscored, so a change was overdue.

While the new starting lineup was technically outscored in 10 minutes of action on Wednesday, forwards Scottie Barnes, Pascal Siakam, and OG Anunoby looked more comfortable operating with additional space on the floor and each scored 20-plus points en route to a blowout victory over Washington. Schröder also thrived in his new role off the bench — he was a game-high +29 in his 28 minutes, dishing 10 assists to go along with his nine points.

Head coach Darko Rajakovic said the new lineup isn’t set in stone, notes Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca, but it should give the Raptors more information on their roster as the trade deadline approaches. As Lewenberg outlines, the team will get to see whether Barnes and Siakam fit better together with another shooter on the floor, as well as evaluating whether Barnes can hold his own operating as the primary play-maker without a point guard alongside him.

According to Lewenberg, the Raptors don’t really have the personnel to play the way that Rajakovic would like to, so he’ll have to be flexible in his philosophies in order to adapt to this roster — the starting lineup tweak, which he long resisted, is a reflection of that.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

The Nets essentially punted away Wednesday’s game vs. Milwaukee, the second in a back-to-back set, writes Zach Braziller of The New York Post. In addition to holding out starters Cameron Johnson, Nic Claxton, and Spencer Dinwiddie, Brooklyn didn’t use Mikal Bridges, Royce O’Neale, or Cam Thomas after the first quarter, giving them a de facto rest day too. “I’ve got to think short term and long term and make executive decisions for the betterment of the group,” Vaughn told reporters ahead of the 144-122 loss. “So that’s where we’re at tonight. Just being smart about what is presented in front of us.”
The Nets‘ plan on Wednesday didn’t sit particularly well with Bridges, who extended his games played streak to 423 despite only logging 12 minutes, all in the first quarter, Braziller writes for The New York Post. Bridges said he didn’t want to “just get in there for the streak,” adding that he’s healthy and would’ve been fine playing more. “Didn’t like the choice and whatever that was. But it’s whatever,” Bridges said. “Definitely was not a fan.”
Echoing a recent story from Ian Begley of SNY.tv, Stefan Bondy of The New York Post cites multiple sources who say Klutch Sports has “made it clear it’d prefer not to do business” with the Knicks. While Klutch obviously couldn’t stop the Knicks from trading for one of its clients, Bondy suggests that “landmines are set and often detonated if a player or his camp don’t want to be there.” Still, Bondy believes there’s a real chance of peace between the two sides, noting that both Rich Paul and the Knicks are open to meeting to work out their issues. The origins of the beef aren’t known, though Bondy speculates within his story about some possible factors.

Nets Notes: Walker, Lineup, Bridges, Thomas

December 27th, 2023 at 3:32pm CST by Rory Maher

The Nets will be shorthanded on Wednesday against Milwaukee, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Three starters — Cameron Johnson (right knee sprain — injury maintenance), Nic Claxton (left ankle sprain — injury maintenance) and Spencer Dinwiddie (rest) — will be out, while key reserve Dorian Finney-Smith is questionable with left knee soreness.

Brooklyn just defeated Detroit on Tuesday, so it’s the second end of a back-to-back set for the Nets, who will also be without Ben Simmons (nerve impingement in lower back) and Lonnie Walker (left hamstring strain).

Here’s more on the Nets:

While he’s officially listed as out due to the hamstring injury, Walker’s return to action has been delayed by an illness, Lewis writes for The New York Post. “Yeah, Lonnie didn’t join us here in Detroit. The thought was he was going to travel with us. Had a little setback because of a virus,” head coach Jacque Vaughn said before Tuesday’s win. “So he’s been sick. And so really the last, I’m going to say three days, he hasn’t been able to be on court. And so again, he was supposed to be with us on this trip to get a workout in, wasn’t able to do that. So we’ve kind of pushed his availability back. We’ll check on him when (the team) gets home and hopefully he can continue towards working back on the court. But you won’t see him this week.” As Lewis notes, that means Walker will be sidelined on Friday as well, which will mark his 14th straight missed game.
Finney-Smith played the entire fourth quarter on Tuesday in place of Cam Thomas, and Vaughn suggested the veteran forward might return to the starting lineup soon, according to Lewis. “When I reflected back on that, I said I’ll continue to gather the data and the data would speak for itself,” Vaughn said. “I’m more analytically based than I ever have been in my career. So you take this group (with Thomas) that’s started recently, the numbers haven’t been efficient or sufficient enough for us, so there probably will be a change at some point. What that change is, I’ll continue to see what they need and what’s best for the group.“
In another article for The New York Post, Lewis says the Nets need Thomas and Mikal Bridges to get on the same page, as the team hasn’t played well while its top two scorers are on the court together. Brooklyn is just 3-5 when both players score 20-plus points, and the Nets have been outscored by a significant margin when Thomas and Bridges are paired.

Atlantic Notes: Martin, Bridges, Thomas, Tatum

December 24th, 2023 at 3:15pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Sixers have an intriguing trade chip in wing KJ Martin, but he’s hoping to prove that they should keep him around, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

“I’ve been traded twice already, so I feel like I have an understanding [that] stuff happens for a reason,” Martin said. “If I stay here, then hopefully, you know, I’m trying to get the opportunity to show what I can do. You feel me? I never am the type of person to be super, super down on myself about stuff that I really can’t control.”

Martin’s minutes have been significantly reduced, now that he’s playing on a legitimate contender. He started 49 of 82 games for Houston last season, but is averaging only 5.5 minutes in 15 appearances with Philadelphia.

“Obviously, it’s an adjustment,” Martin said. “Last season, I played 29, 30 minutes a game. So that’s the only tough thing about it. I have 200-plus games under my belt at this point and I just want to go out and compete.”

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

Nets forward Mikal Bridges recently voiced his sympathy towards his former Suns head coach Monty Williams, now coaching the Pistons through a 26-game losing streak, writes Mark W. Sanchez of The New York Post. “Definitely wouldn’t want that on anybody, especially not Mont,” Bridges said. “Such a great dude and works so hard and really good coach. So it’s tough… That’s my guy. Obviously, I don’t want him losing like this.”
The Nets beat the Pistons 126-115 on Saturday, which gave Detroit an NBA record-tying 26-game losing streak. Nets guard Cam Thomas acknowledged in a postgame interview with the YES Network (YouTube video link via ESPN) that Brooklyn does not want to be the club that the Pistons beat to end their losing streak. “Obviously, you don’t want to be that team [to lose to Detroit], so we just wanted to come out, be aggressive and try to get a win tonight,” Thomas said. Brooklyn will face Detroit again on Tuesday.
Celtics All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum is doing his darnedest to play through a painful sprained ankle for the East’s No. 1 seed, writes Jared Weiss of The Athletic. He missed one contest with the injury, against the Kings, before returning for a blowout win over the Clippers on Saturday. “I’ve been out for three days, and I don’t like missing games,” Tatum said. “So I was excited to get back out there with the team and play today.”

Nets Notes: Starting Five, Bridges, DSJ, Sharpe

December 23rd, 2023 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Prior to Friday’s game vs. Denver, Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn indicated that he was considering making a change to his starting lineup in order to try to address the team’s recent habit of starting games slowly, according to Peter Botte of The New York Post.

“It is really on me to take a closer look if there is a lineup change that needs to be had to get our group going,” Vaughn said. “Like I told you, I’ve been taking data of this group, how we can get out to better starts.

“… When we dig ourselves a hole, it’s a deep hole, and the mentality of starting the game has to hit first. It’s tough for us to play from behind.”

Vaughn ultimately ended up rolling out his usual five-man group of Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, Nic Claxton, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Cam Thomas on Friday.

As Botte notes, in Brooklyn’s previous four losses, the team was outscored 121-95 in first quarters, whereas the Nets played Denver to a 28-28 tie on Friday. However, the starting lineup didn’t contribute much to that outcome — the Nets were trailing 18-7 when Vaughn made his first substitution.

Here’s more on the Nets:

Bridges’ recent offensive slump has been a significant factor in Brooklyn’s struggles, Botte writes in another Post story. During the club’s current five-game losing streak, Bridges has averaged just 13.8 points per game and has shot 30.8% from the floor. “It’s just the way the ebbs and flow of the season go. At the end of this thing, I’m quite sure his averages will be where they’re supposed to be, and he’ll be an impactful player like he’s been the majority of this season,” Vaughn said, adding that Bridges has been strong defensively. “You just go through little patches where the ball isn’t going in for you.”
Dennis Smith Jr. had an immediate impact in his return from a lower back injury that cost him seven games, Botte writes. Smith scored seven points, handed out five assists, and was a plus-nine in 19 minutes during Friday’s loss. “I think his energy and effort are contagious,” teammate Spencer Dinwiddie said. “What he brings on the defensive end is unique to anybody on this roster. He’s an impact player.”
Examining the Nets’ goals for the rest of the season, Brian Lewis of The New York Post (subscription required) says the team needs to establish some consistency and get some clarity on which players are keepers and which ones could be trade chips.
After another strong showing against Denver on Friday (13 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, two blocks), Day’Ron Sharpe is looking more and more like a player becoming a reliable NBA center, writes Collin Helwig of NetsDaily. Sharpe’s development remains a work in progress, but ideally, Helwig writes, it would follow the template laid out by past and current Nets centers Brook Lopez, Jarrett Allen, and Nic Claxton.

Atlantic Notes: Bridges, Johnson, Grimes, Quickley, Winslow

December 12th, 2023 at 10:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson, two of the players the Nets acquired in the Kevin Durant blockbuster with the Suns last season, will play in Phoenix against their former team on Wednesday.

Bridges is looking forward to it.

“Yeah, excited. Just a lot of years there, a lot of friends there. A lot of fans through the whole journey. It’s going to be exciting,” Bridges told Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “Obviously I’m not excited right now to talk about it, but when it comes, I will. But just get ready, main focus is to go out there and get a win.”

Johnson echoed those comments.

“I’m excited. It’s appreciation you gain for a city and for the fans when you play there for a while,” he said. “And as crazy as it is, you don’t know. That last game I played there, I didn’t know it’d be my last game in a Suns uniform. So it’ll be fun.”

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

Knicks guard Quentin Grimes was moved to the second unit and he’s thriving off the bench. In the last two games, he has averaged 16 points on 10.5 shot attempts. “I’m just out there playing free, really,” he told Zach Braziller of the New York Post. “Everybody sees it, just from me going out there, playing with guys trying to get me open shots. It’s easy and fun playing out with the second unit for sure.”
Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley is listed as questionable with knee inflammation for Wednesday’s game vs. Utah, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post tweets. He didn’t play against Toronto on Monday.
Justise Winslow, who is trying to work his way back into the league, debuted for the Raptors’ G League affiliate, Raptors 905, on Tuesday, NBA G League tweets. He scored 13 points in 16 minutes. Winslow was waived by Toronto during training camp.

Nets Notes: Bridges, LaVine, Thomas, Johnson, Simmons

November 16th, 2023 at 4:32pm CST by Rory Maher

Mikal Bridges has individual handshakes and greetings with people throughout the Nets‘ organization. He hopes that positive energy will help build the team’s culture.

“I think it’s just being who I am, that’s how culture starts,” Bridges told Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. “Bringing in good people. I think there’s nothing else to it. Just bringing energy, being who I am and just be nice. Basically be myself and hopefully people will follow.”

As Fischer writes, the 27-year-old wing is friendly with many players around the league, including stars. Brooklyn hopes Bridges’ personality and “malleable” game will make the Nets an attractive option for a star player in the future.

“I’m friends with a lot of people. I think friendships help. Obviously, if I think it’s a good option, then yeah.” said Bridges, adding that he’s not proactively recruiting players around the league. “I’m just trying to win now and do what it takes. You can talk about all the ‘what ifs’ and ‘maybe this,’ but you can’t control that. Other than that just trying to win now. I’m more locked in on the guys here.”

Here’s more on the Nets:

If Zach LaVine is traded, he’s unlikely to land with Brooklyn, sources tell Fischer. Based on Fischer’s wording, it’s unclear if LaVine is uninterested in the Nets or they’re uninterested in him (or both).
Guard Cam Thomas will be reevaluated next week after spraining his left ankle. While he’s in “good spirits” and is making progress, he says sustaining the injury was discouraging, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post. “Of course it’s frustrating. I was playing real well, helping the team, we were competing. What was I, number six or seven in scoring at the time? So obviously it’s frustrating,” said Thomas, who is averaging 26.9 points in eight games. “But at the end of day, everything happens for a reason. So I’m going to just try to rehab as best I can, just so I can get back to that level of play I was at, that’s the only thing I’m looking forward to.”
Forward Cameron Johnson scored a season-high 20 points (on 7-of-11 shooting) in Tuesday’s victory over Orlando, also contributing five rebounds and three steals. It was a much-needed boost to a Nets team playing without Thomas and Ben Simmons (back), writes Bridget Reilly of The New York Post. Johnson missed seven consecutive games after getting injured in the season opener, but he seems to be rounding into form, says Reilly.
The Nets can no longer rely on Simmons as a focal point after his latest injury, a nerve impingement in his lower left back that will sideline him for at least another week, Lucas Kaplan of NetsDaily.com opines. Assuming Simmons is fully healthy when he returns, Kaplan thinks he’ll return to the starting lineup because he’s the highest-paid player on the team. But that would be a mistake, in Kaplan’s view, because Simmons negatively impacts the half-court offense, which has looked better without him. Kaplan believes Simmons should be a “low-minute, spark-plug point-center that pushes the pace relentlessly” off the bench.

Atlantic Notes: Harden, Embiid, Randle, Bridges

October 29th, 2023 at 7:09pm CST by Dana Gauruder

It’s still uncertain when he’ll play, but James Harden went through a walkthrough and video session with the Sixers prior to their game against Portland on Sunday, Tim Bontemps of ESPN reports. Harden is also expected to take part in their practice on Tuesday. He’s ramping up toward game action.

“All signs are positive conditioning-wise and all those things,” head coach Nick Nurse said. “We just need to get him in some live action then hopefully we can do that Tuesday.”

After an off-day on Monday, Philadelphia is scheduled to practice Tuesday and Wednesday. It’s possible, if all goes well, that Harden could make his season debut against Toronto on Thursday.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

Joel Embiid insists the Sixers aren’t focused on Harden’s situation, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “I think everybody in this locker room has been focused on — we’re playing,” Embiid said. “We’ve got games every single day. That’s up to the guys upstairs and management to figure out what’s going to happen. We’ve got a pretty good team.”
Julius Randle is averaging just 13.7 points on 27.7% shooting during the first three Knicks games. He also committed eight of the Knicks’ 19 turnovers against the Pelicans on Saturday. Jalen Brunson says the team has to give him more help, Peter Botte of the New York Post writes. “He’s being aggressive. He’s attacking,” Brunson said. “As a group we need to be better. But we’ve got to help each other be better. It can’t just be like ‘I have to be better’ or ‘He has to be better.’ How can we collectively help each other? Julius is gonna command attention, so we need to help him out a little bit.”
Mikal Bridges hasn’t played poorly but he’s still trying to settle into the role of No. 1 option, according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post. Bridges averaged 19 points on 41.4% shooting, 5.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists in the first two Nets games of the season. “Just missing shots, I’m missing layups, missing some of my teammates open. I’ve just got to be better,” he said.

Nets Notes: Giles, Whitehead, Bridges, Johnson

October 23rd, 2023 at 10:47am CST by Arthur Hill

Harry Giles was overcome with emotion when he learned that his battle to make an NBA roster was successful, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. The 25-year forward has undergone multiple knee surgeries since high school and hasn’t played in the league for two years.

Fighting back from a torn ACL that sidelined him for all of last season, Giles auditioned for several teams this summer before landing an Exhibit 9 contract with the Nets. That earned him an invitation to training camp and the chance to earn a roster spot, and he wasn’t sure that he did until after Brooklyn’s final preseason game. He was in the middle of a workout when general manager Sean Marks broke the news, and Giles had to fight back tears so he could finish.

“Oh, man, it was crazy, bro. I called my mom when I got to the room. I wanted to cry when I first found out, but I was around so many people and I was still lifting,” Giles said. “So I was trying to focus on my lift. I was sweating out hard and I was trying to get through the day. I was still kind of hyped about myself. So once I got to the room, I just laid on the bed and I’m like, ‘Oh my God.’

“My mom was like ‘Has it hit you yet?’ I’m like, ‘Nah, it still ain’t hit me. It still hasn’t hit me. I still feel like I’m in camp trying to make the team. That’s a good thing: keep me in that mindset. But I’m happy to be here and this is amazing.”

There’s more from Brooklyn:

First-round pick Dariq Whitehead, who is recovering from offseason foot surgery, has started playing two-on-two against teammates and assistant coaches, Lewis adds in the same story. “It’s reads, so you’re having him react in a setting that is not controlled,” coach Jacque Vaughn said. “You just keep going those uncontrollable settings for him to get him back to five-on-five.”
Vaughn is installing more plays to create open shots for Mikal Bridges, Lewis adds in a separate story for the Post. Bridges shot just 36.6% during the preseason while mainly being used in isolation sets. Vaughn said isolation made sense when the team had Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, but he plans to take a different approach to maximize the skills of Bridges and Cameron Johnson. “We don’t want to put Mikal in pick-and-roll every single time just to grow that part of his game because I’ll always do what’s best for the group,” Vaughn explained. “Now we can grow his game by having sets that put him in position where he’s playing pick-and-roll. … So it’s going to really dictate who’s on the floor of how we grow our guys and challenge them. Grab hold to what we can do and do that well.”
In a recent appearance on the “2nd Wind” podcast, Johnson talked about having more freedom to create in the Nets’ offense than he did during his time with Phoenix (hat tip to USA Today).

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