Getty Mikal Bridges #1 and Nic Claxton #33 of the Brooklyn Nets.
When the Brooklyn Nets traded Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving at the deadline, nobody was sure which direction the franchise was headed. With KD and Kyrie being the dynamic players they are, the Nets were not likely to get equal value for them in any trade. And with their biggest recoupment from the deal being a plethora of first-round draft picks, many were unsure how competitive the team would be this season.
Not only were the Nets able to get into the playoffs, but they avoided the play-in tournament, proving all the naysayers wrong. However, Nets star Mikal Bridges says that silencing the doubters wasn’t a motivating factor that got them to this point.
“People talk and stuff, [but] they don’t, I mean, you don’t know. … You’re not in here every day, you’re not working hard, being in the gym every single day and [knowing] how much work we’re trying to put in. So, no, that wasn’t it,” Bridges said to the New York Post.
“It was just to ourselves and what we all wanted. We all wanted to win, and we all wanted to be in the playoffs. So, we took that upon us to just work hard and [the] coaches being on us, and us listening and learning.’’
Bridges was initially drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in 2018. But on the same night, he was traded to the Phoenix Suns for number 16 pick Zhaire Smith and a 2021 unprotected first-round selection from the Miami Heat. With the Nets locking in a date for a first-round playoff clash with the Sixers, Bridges will have the opportunity to eliminate the franchise that traded him.
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Jacque Vaughn Sounds off on Cam Thomas
When the playoffs come around, coaches usually shorten their rotations. But Nets fans are clamoring for head coach Jacque Vaughn to make an exception for second-year guard Cam Thomas.
Thomas scored 46 points in the Nets’ regular season finale against the Sixers on April 9. This comes after he had a three-game stretch averaging 44.7 points per game on 56/56/90 shooting splits earlier this season. While Vaughn acknowledges Thomas has had some “great” scoring outbursts, he says it is not something that will guarantee him playing time.
“I wish the score was 134 Brooklyn Nets, 105 Philadelphia. I think that part helps. The goal is you win as a team, so, 46 points is great, but we end up losing by 30. So, you’ve got to attach those together. How do you marry the 29 shots to being a productive teammate where you might not get that amount of shots in a typical game? That’s the question,” Vaughn said of Thomas’ performance.
“So, can you harness and take that ability and be able to do it in a shorter amount of time? In a more efficient time? And in a setting, that benefits the entire team? That’s the challenge.”
Jacque Vaughn Praises Nets’ Rookie’s Performance
Thomas was not the only young Nets player who turned heads during their loss to the Sixers. Nets rookie RaiQuan Gray also had an elite performance. He finished with 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting, including 2-of-5 from beyonf the arc. Vaughn sounded off on Gray’s “impressive” outing, albeit in a losing effort.
“He was heading towards a triple-double at halftime. So, impressive in the fact that we’d talked to him about being thankful for the opportunity. You don’t know when it’s going to present itself. He was ready, he showed up,” Vaughn said of Gray.
“We talked about it as a group that this is a guy that fits in, he’s been around our guys, has a relationship with guys, and is easy to cheer for. Glad he played well.”
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