Mikal Bridges is the face of the Nets franchise. But now that the season is over and reflection has begun, he feels there is a lot of room for improvement.
And that’s more between his ears than on the court, more about his mentality than his ability.
“Personally, it was really tough. I had some gray hairs. I want to win, I want to compete, and I get frustrated with a lot of things. I’m frustrated with myself. Sometimes you have to go through that.” said Bridges. “You have expectations, you have goals, but sometimes you don’t achieve those goals. Life can humble you in funny ways. But it’s always for the greater good.”
Bridges averaged 19.6 points and shot 43.6 percent from the field, setting career highs in points, but he was still a disappointment as All-Star expectations were high.
He averaged an impressive 26.1 points on 47.5 percent shooting after arriving at the trade deadline last year, but was unable to replicate that form and became a target after the loss.
“It’s not him in particular. It’s about the entire team. It’s happened across the board, the production wasn’t in the same place, the team’s identity and execution wasn’t where it should be,” Cam Johnson said. Told. “Because of the way he played at the end of last season, everyone was like, ‘Look at him,’ and had doubts and doubts. But at the end of the day, I’m proud of him.”
Bridges’ workload as an Ironman has drawn scrutiny, but he said his problems are more mental than physical.
“I wanted to win so much and I was so frustrated with things and so nervous about myself that I felt like everything was taken away from me,” Bridges said. “I play the game with joy. I’ve always played it that way. And when people ask me or talk about ‘you don’t look the same,’ that’s how I feel.” When you’re completely out of line, it means something. In other words, I’m not who I want to be. ”
Bridges had a similar conversation with his mother during the season.
He also said he wasn’t in the right headspace after the Dec. 27 loss to the Bucks (in which the Nets were fined for essentially punting the game) and 10 losses in 12 games. I also admitted that there wasn’t.
“Losing against Milwaukee and the road trip was tough. I think that was part of it. It didn’t help. I know I was pretty hurt by that for the players as well. I was pretty upset about the situation,” Bridges said. “That’s just part of it. I think I failed mentally in that part. I was in pretty good shape mentally, but I just didn’t do a very good job this year. I just let my emotions run wild. .
“For me, it’s for the greater good. I know what my purpose is: I want to win, I want to get to the playoffs, that kind of thing. It’s really, really frustrating. …It’s a selfish sense. I just want to win. I definitely have to get better. That’s another thing I’m taking. [from] You have goals this year, and when the going gets tough, you might get an uppercut, but how are you going to react to that? …So I started getting even more frustrated when something small didn’t look right or was wrong. I just felt better mentally.”
