In the lead-up to the NBA Draft on June 21, BSN Denver is taking an in-depth look at prospects the Nuggets might target in the first round. Each draft profile will be accompanied by a podcast available on BSNDenver.com and wherever you normally download your podcasts from. To submit questions for the podcast, reply in the comments section at the bottom of this story.
BSN Nuggets Podcast: Miles Bridges could be the solution to Denver’s key issue
THE BASICS
Miles Bridges — Forward — Michigan State
NBA Role: Plus 3-and-D
Player Comparison: Vince Carter but way less fluid and ferocious
Everyone and their cousin thought Miles Bridges would go pro after his freshman season at Michigan State. The former five-star recruit showed an intriguing blend of bounce and outside touch in his first season under Tom Izzo. Even Izzo tried to convince Bridges to enter the NBA Draft after he averaged 16.9 points and 8.3 rebounds as a freshman. But Bridges wasn’t ready to go. He stuck around for another season, put up similar numbers and, to his dismay, was part of another Spartans team that was eliminated in the Round of 32.
Bridges won’t be going back to East Lansing for a third year. He hired an agent in March — Klutch Sports’ Rich Paul, who got his start representing LeBron James. It’s difficult to imagine Bridges lasting past the 11th pick in next month’s draft; if for some miraculous reason he’s available at 14, the Nuggets would submit their selection in about two seconds. Bridges’ athleticism and versatility are exactly what Denver needs to add to its roster, especially because it’s facing the prospect of losing Wilson Chandler and/or Will Barton this offseason.
SO MUCH BOUNCE — BUT DOES HE RELISH CONTACT?
If you climbed a step ladder and placed a quarter on top of the backboard, there’s a good chance Bridges could retrieve it. He’s one of the most gifted leapers in this draft class who specializes in soaring off both feet. The 6-foot-7, 230-pound forward can make the whole arena rattle when he builds up a head of steam.
Bridges shot a healthy 65.6 percent at the rim last season, according to Hoop-Math. That’s thanks to his hops, strength and dexterity with both hands. The problem is that it often looked like he’d rather settle for a pull-up jumper rather than probe into the teeth of the defense. Only about a quarter of Bridges’ field-goal attempts came at the rim his sophomore year; more than 30 percent of his shots were jumpers he took from inside the three-point arc.
Chucking up long twos isn’t a winning strategy in today’s NBA. There were too many times when Bridges could’ve burned a defender who was closing out or trailing him and didn’t. His preference of pull-up jumpers over rack attacks help explain why a player as athletic as him only got to the free throw line 3.2 times per game. Bridges’ iffy handle could’ve also contributed to him taking so many contested jumpers.
Bridges struggled to make plays out of the pick and roll. It’s not as if he’s a hopeless ball handler, though. There were still flashes when he looked impressive.
Bridges will need to improve his ball handling and decision making at the next level. He would also benefit from embracing bully ball even more. He’s effective when he gets going downhill. Just ask Josh Jackson, the No. 4 overall pick in 2017, who guarded him in the NCAA Tournament before turning pro.
CAPABLE 3-POINT SHOOTER AND DEFENDER
Every team is looking for forwards who can knock down outside shots and defend. The Boston Celtics are one win away from the NBA Finals largely because of the 3-and-D wings they took third overall in 2016 and 2017: Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. The odds that Bridges ever defends like Brown or strokes the ball like Tatum aren’t great, but he projects as a plus player in both of those departments.
Michigan’s Charles Matthews, who worked out for the Nuggets on Tuesday, was one of the breakout stars of the NCAA Tournament. Watch how Bridges shadows him here.
Bridges moves his feet well and uses his strength to his advantage. He averaged 1.7 fouls per game in his college career, which is indicative of how he defends without fouling. It’s not hard to see him playing the switch-heavy style of defense that’s en vogue right now in the NBA.
On the offensive end, Bridges has shown that he can knock down the three-pointer on a consistent basis. He shot 37.5 percent on 5.5 attempts per game at Michigan State. It doesn’t take him long to set his feet and fire.
He shot 35.9 percent from NBA three-point range last season, according to The Stepien. He’s got range. The 85.3 percent he shot from the free throw line as a sophomore is also an encouraging mark.
THE VERDICT
The Nuggets would be overjoyed if Bridges somehow fell to them on draft night. Sports Illustrated’s most recent mock draft had him going 10th to the Philadelphia 76ers. If Denver felt strongly about him, it could try to trade up into the 6-11 range by dangling Malik Beasley/Juancho Hernangomez and the 14th pick.
The thought of Bridges on the receiving end of Nikola Jokic lobs is intriguing. Bridges already has good instincts as a cutter. Maybe that’s a Michigan State thing? Gary Harris is the best cutter on the Nuggets’ roster by a significant margin.
Bridges wouldn’t be asked to do much one-on-one creating in Denver. He could instead settle into a role that’s probably best for him in the NBA: great glue guy.
