(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
After their failed experiment with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, the Brooklyn Nets are boldly moving forward with a collection of young and hungry players.
They’re currently in ninth place in the Eastern Conference, and they seem on track to reaching the play-in tournament, where they could be a dangerous matchup.
Arguably their best player is two-way wing Mikal Bridges, who was acquired from the Phoenix Suns when they traded away Durant last winter.
Some may have wondered if Brooklyn would want to trade Bridges, but according to Adrian Wojnarowski, they not only want to keep him, but they want to center their team around him moving forward, per NBACentral.
The Brooklyn Nets still want to build around Mikal Bridges, per @wojespn
“I believe Brooklyn’s intent remains to build and add talent around Mikal Bridges.” pic.twitter.com/Ckwj7ypgAU
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 3, 2024
When he was with the Suns, Bridges was seen as nothing more than a very nice complementary player who could hit 3-pointers and lock down the other team’s best wing or forward on the defensive end.
But since coming to the New York City metropolitan area, he has blossomed and proven he can be much more than simply a piece of a team’s machinery.
He’s averaging 20.9 points a game so far this season, and he is creating his own shot far more often than he ever did in Phoenix.
The Nets have a number of other productive, intriguing players, such as Cam Thomas, Lonnie Walker IV, Cameron Johnson, Spencer Dinwiddie, and former No. 1 draft pick Ben Simmons.
Unfortunately for them, Simmons is out of action with a back issue that has limited him to just six games this season, but if or when he returns, he could make them an even more dangerous squad.
The post Insider Says Nets Still Want To Build Around 1 Key Player appeared first on The Cold Wire.
