Can’t hang his head
Nets need Bridges to shrug off late-season fatigue
The Nets found themselves in the midst of another three-game losing streak entering Sunday’s game against the Spurs, and once again the play of Mikal Bridges has been placed under a microscope.
Bridges is viewed as the Nets’ best allaround player for a reason. As he goes, so does the team. And that is one of the lone certainties for Kevin Ollie’s team this season.
There is no clear reason why the forward has continued to struggle in some of the most important games as the regular season concludes. There are a few popular theories, though, starting with the fatigue element.
It is no secret that Bridges has been asked to do more at both ends of the court than at any point in his professional career. Some believe that increased usage has taken a toll on the 27-year-old down the stretch, although he is averaging career-highs in points, rebounds and assists. He is averaging 16.5 points on 38.4/33/75 across his last 13 appearances since the All-Star break. In his first 53 games ahead of the All-Star break, he was averaging 21.9 points.
Bridges, who has appeared in all 68 games and made his 460th straight regular-season start on Sunday, has played more games and minutes than any NBA player since the start of 2021-22 season. He ranks fourth in the league in total minutes played this season (2,359), trailing only Chicago’s DeMar DeRozan (2,487), Coby White (2,425) and Sacramento’s Domantas Sabonis (2,370).
Here is the issue with the fatigue argument, though. Almost everyone in the NBA is feeling some form of fatigue at this point in the season, whether physical or mental. Bridges has not complained about his usage or his role once. And if he were limited physically because of fatigue, he seems like the type of player who would do what is best for his teammates, regardless of how much pride he takes in his Iron Man streak.
Bridges’ offensive struggles have usually been more scrutinized after losses and those continue to pile up for the Nets. The team, overall, is not good enough to put a consistent competitive product on the floor. And opponents around the league know how important Bridges is to the Nets’ success and go out of their way each night to limit his production.
It is more than just a fatigue thing. There is a combination of factors at work.
“I got to do a better job, the team’s got to do a better job, and he’s got to do a better job… He can’t hang his head, either,” Ollie said. “I’m not kicking him out if he makes a mistake. He’s able to play through his mistakes and he’s got to understand that this is a good test for him… This is an opportunity for him to grow in the midst of what looks like a dark time, but there’s actually light at the end of the tunnel because he’s able to play through mistakes and be able to learn.”
Bridges just has to be better at the end of the day. He would probably be the first to say it. The forward is averaging just 13 points while shooting 29.6% from the field and 24% from deep over the team’s last seven losses. He scored just seven points on 1-of-8 shooting in Saturday’s defeat.