Mikal Bridges impressed Heat coach Erik Spoelstra during FIBA World Cup
Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra gestures during the first half of the team's NBA basketball game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023, in Cleveland. Credit: AP/Sue Ogrocki
With Thanksgiving still fresh in the air, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra spent part of his pregame news conference Saturday complimenting Mikal Bridges.
Spoelstra was an assistant coach for Team USA during the FIBA World Cup and got to see Bridges and Cam Johnson up close. He praised Bridges’ development and his ability to grow from a secondary role with the Suns and become a star with the Nets.
“He’s a pro’s pro. Everything you heard about him, read about him, he was that and more,” Spoelstra said. “Much more than, probably, his role initially in this league, but you do have to also credit him for buying into that role and being part of a great team.
“He was part of some really good teams out there in Phoenix, and then when he had an opportunity to grow and shoulder way more responsibilities offensively here, he’s shown that he can handle that.”
Spoelstra doled out similar praise Friday to the Knicks’ Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart, who also were on that team.
Bridges, who led Team USA in three-point shooting, helped seal the Nets’ win in Miami this season by scoring all nine of his fourth-quarter points in the final 3:22. It wasn’t a surprise to Spoelstra, who saw the multitude of ways Bridges can impact a game.
“His versatility, defensively, we basically put him on everybody,” Spoelstra said. “The point of attack, whether it was one, two or three, we put him on that player. He just did a lot of winning things. I was really impressed with him on and off the court. Just a high-quality individual.’’
Home cooking
Saturday began a five-game homestand for the Nets, tied for the longest home stretch of the season. The Nets have two more five-game home stretches from Jan. 23-31 and Feb. 5-13 just before the All-Star break.
Evan Barnes covers the Nets for Newsday. He previously covered Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
