Mikal Bridges' shining play with Nets draws attention of 76ers

He isn’t quite there yet.

Mikal Bridges has been playing like a star since coming to the Nets in February, totaling 11 30-point performances after doing so just twice in 365 games with the Suns. 

Yet, stars are born in the playoffs, not in the regular season. And heading into the Nets' first-round series against Philadelphia, 76ers coach Doc Rivers isn’t about to grant the Nets forward star status.

“They say you have to have stars to win a championship. They don’t say you have to have stars to win a series. There’s a big difference,” Rivers said when asked this week what it was like to prepare for a team without a star player. “You have to be ready. The playoffs is what makes you a star.

“There’s probably three or four guys when this whole season is over who are going to be stars that we don’t even know yet. Let’s hope we don’t create them.”

Bridges averaged a career-high 14.2 points for the Suns last season, and 17.2 up through the point in February at which he was traded for Kevin Durant.

 In 27 games with the Nets, Bridges averaged 26.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists. He shot 47.5% from the floor and 37.6% from deep while also being one of the defensive leaders.

The way he has raised his level of play with the Nets has earned him admiration from the 76ers, who plan to focus their defense on him.

“I wouldn’t say it’s surprising,” Tyrese Maxey said of Bridges’ stepping up statistically since the trade. “The team he was on with the Phoenix Suns, he played his role ... Now, he has to shoot more, has more volume, more confidence, more plays run for him, the offense kind of flowing through him. So hat’s off to him. Going to be a tough job for us to stop him. We’re going to play him not just one-on-one but a five-man defense. He's got to see a crowd every time he catches the ball.”

As Bridges' game improved with the Nets, he began drawing more top defenders and double teams. He expects to see the same in this series, which opens with Game 1 Saturday in Philadelphia.

“It’s going to be tough for sure. I know how it is: I know how game-planning for top players is. I know being the defender guarding the guy, so I know how the scout can be,” Bridges said. “It’s a challenge. And it’s great, man. It’s great for all of us. All it’s going to do is make us better.

“Just being aggressive and making the right read, that’s the biggest thing, just simple basketball sometimes. Just guarding the main guys all the time and not allowing them to break free and get out. Sometimes a simple play always works as well. If they blitz or trap, always just getting the easy [play], getting the hockey assist or getting the funnel going. Just playing good basketball, simple basketball will help.”

By Barbara Barker

barbara.barker@newsday.commeanbarb

Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.