CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Mikal Bridges doesn’t need a rest.
But he sure needs help.
And the Nets know it.
Even at their best, the Nets are no offensive juggernaut.
But right now, with Cam Thomas, Cam Johnson and Ben Simmons having all been out, it’s heaped pressure on Bridges to be Superman.
He doesn’t have a cape.
Sure, Bridges is undoubtedly tired.
But his slump heading into Saturday’s game against the Hornets isn’t just about being worn out, it’s about not being helped out.
“Everybody can benefit from a break, but our schedule is not allowing us to take a break,” interim head coach Kevin Ollie said. “I know he’s came to me and said, ‘I need to play and I want to play.’ And I believe in him. And our team believes in him. I know if we continue to have faith and continue to put him in the right situations, he will prevail. He’ll get through this. It’s making him stronger.
“You know it hurts when you don’t have CT or CJ where they’re double-teaming [him], and you expect him to be Superman. But he’s just not Superman. All the game plan is to [stop] him, to take him out of the game. And in this opportunity, he can learn through this. Even through struggle, you have an opportunity to find a lesson in it, and I think he’ll find a lesson in it. When he gets in this situation again, he’ll be better equipped — and hopefully that’ll be in Charlotte.”
In many ways, this is Bridges’ best season.
He’s on pace for career highs in scoring, rebounds and assists.
His playmaking has taken a quantum leap.
So has his burden of responsibility, and clearly, he’s being weighed down by it.
Bridges is the Nets’ leading scorer at 20.9 points.
But in his last 10 outings heading into the Hornets tilt, he’s averaged a modest 15.6 points on subpar .376/.295/.656 shooting splits.
That’s a huge dropoff from the 17 games prior, when Bridges poured in 24.6 points on solid .464/.406/.822 splits.
Bridges insists it’s not a case of needing a break.
“No, not really. No, it’s just between missing shots and schemes on other teams. It’s just a mix of that,” Bridges said. “It’s not too many times where I come off and it’s easy looks now. And it’s just part of growth, and some are just gonna make me better [and] make the team better when it’s all said and done. But just get through that hump. But no, it’s just between making and missing shots.
“Even games where I shot bad, they all felt good. And that’s probably the worst part, when you make every shot in warm-ups and then come into the game and miss every one. So that’s not fun. But [my] body feels good. Just gotta make it count, no matter what the defense is. Obviously, it’s new to me. But s–t, the only way to get through is to keep going through and getting better at it.”
Whether it’s being tired or opposing tactics, the Nets need Bridges to break his funk.
Heading into Charlotte, Bridges has played in 494 straight games (including the postseason) and this summer saw 13 more FIBA contests.
He’s third in the league in minutes logged after leading the NBA the past two.
That seems to be taking its toll. In his recent skid, Bridges’ second-half shooting splits have fallen to .338/.200/.591 — and just .269 overall in the fourth quarter.
With the Nets just starting a season-long road trip, they can’t afford those struggles now — or to lose to the Hornets, now 3 ½ behind Atlanta for the last play-in spot.
“We’ve just got to stay together because it’s just us out there … and you’ve just got to come together as a group, as a unit to just fight through it,” Bridges sad.
“Every game at this point is a must-win with us trying to make the playoffs. We need to win,” Nic Claxton added. “Every game is a must-win from here on out.”