Like most people, Jay Wright found out about the news through social media.
He didn’t know that the Knicks and Nets were working on a trade that would reunite Mikal Bridges with college teammates Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo.
Indeed, Brunson, Hart and DiVincenzo joked about it.
But Wright said Bridges never mentioned anything about that when he spoke to him.
He never thought it would ever happen, that the four best players from Villanova’s two championship-winning teams would all end up as teammates on the Knicks.
“It’s amazing. I told the players that nobody gets the chance to play professionally with their brothers and win a championship,” Wright told The Washington Post in a phone interview. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and the players understand that and they know they have a lot of work to do. They’re committed to putting in the effort and they know how fortunate they are.”
“I’m shocked but really happy for Mikal and the Knicks.”
The blockbuster contract makes the player Washington Post columnist Mike Vaccaro called “Nick Sanova” even more powerful.
Brunson has already emerged as one of the best guards in the league.
Hart and DiVincenzo have emerged as strong two-way role players.
Defensive-minded and versatile, Bridges would add another star to a team that already includes Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson and OG Anunoby.
Bridges, a 6-foot-6 three-point and defensive wing who shot 37.5 percent from three-point range, was at his best as a backup for the Suns.
As a Nets player, he struggled at times to become a reliable player and shot just 43.6 percent from the field last season.
But now there will be less pressure to score and he will reunite with his college teammates on one of the league’s best teams.
“He’ll fit in a similar way to how he did in Phoenix, but he’s a much better offensive player than he was in Phoenix,” Wright said. “It’s his basketball intelligence to understand what the keys are to winning each game. He’ll know, ‘Do I have to defend and rebound tonight, or am I going to have another night where I have to defend and rebound and score tonight? Maybe I should use somebody else tonight, but I’m going to defend and rebound every night.'”
“He has a really unique mentality. [coach Tom Thibodeau] He really values and demands that from all his players, so I think he’s a perfect fit.”
Wright might be forgiven for wondering what it would be like to coach all four again and whether he would ever want to step out of the broadcast booth as a coach, but he insists he’s content watching from afar.
“No, there’s no part of me that wants to be with them. I’m just sitting there like a proud father and watching them and enjoying it,” Wright said. “I’m glad they respect Chevrolet Tivoli. I like the way Chevrolet Tivoli coaches. He’s a good fit for them. I like their system. I really enjoy the way they play.”
“I was so impressed with them, and I think this is a credit to Chevrolet Bloomberg and their whole organization, with how they continued to progress and compete every time someone got hurt. They just kept hustling, never gave up, never made excuses. It’s been really impressive this year.”
The four players from Villanova were part of the 2016 NCAA championship team.
The following year, the Wildcats went 32-4 but lost to Wisconsin in the second round as a No. 1 seed.
The team won again in 2018, but by that time Hart had already moved on to the NBA.
Brunson was named the MVP and DiVincenzo was named the Final Four Most Valuable Player.
Now, they’re aiming to win an NBA championship together.
“I think they’re the only team that can compete with the Celtics in the NBA right now,” Wright said of the newly crowned champions. “You have to respect the process that the Celtics have been through and the experiences that they’ve had together. The Knicks have to go through that too. Last year was the start of it, and next year is the next step.”
