by Derrel Jazz Johnson
After trading Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving last week, the Brooklyn Nets look vastly different. After last night, a new leader may have emerged for the team, who was the centerpiece of the Durant deal.
In his third game as a Brooklyn Net, Mikal Bridges erupted for 45 points, 17 of which were in the fourth quarter and Brooklyn defeated Miami 116-105. Cam Thomas had 19 off the bench and Cam Johnson, who also was acquired by Brooklyn in the Durant deal, had 18.
Bridges talked about his career-high after the win. “I never scored 40 in my life, so it’s a first,” he said. “My teammates kept finding me. They felt I had it going and just kept getting me the ball and set screens and let me operate and coach just kept drawing stuff up too.”
Bridges had words for anyone who may be too quick to dismiss the team. “If we keep learning and growing together, l feel like we’ll be a scary team that teams don’t want to play against,” he said.
Brooklyn went from having two All-Star starters in Durant and Irving to none.
How good can Brooklyn be? They should definitely be a playoff team in the Eastern Conference but how Brooklyn head coach Jacque Vaughn gets all of the pieces to fit together will be key to the team’s success in the second half of the season and beyond.
