Mikal Bridges is the face of the Nets franchise. But with the end of the season and the start of personal reflection, he sees a lot of things to improve.
And it’s more a question between the ears than on the pitch, more a question of mentality than of abilities.
“It was really difficult personally. I have some gray hairs. Wanting to win and compete and being frustrated about a lot of things. Being frustrated with myself. You just have to go through it sometimes,” Bridges said. “You have expectations, you have goals and sometimes you don’t achieve those goals. Life has a funny way of humbling you. But it is always for the common good.
Bridges averaged 19.6 points on 43.6 percent shooting, a career high but still disappointing after heightened All-Star expectations.
He scored a shocking 26.1 points on 47.5 percent shooting after arriving at the trade deadline last year, but couldn’t replicate that form and became a target after losses. .
“It’s not him in particular. This is a team-wide thing. It’s across the board, production wasn’t in the same place, and our team identity and execution wasn’t where it should be,” Cam Johnson said. “And because of the way he played at the end of last season, everyone was like, ‘Look at him,’ and had their questions and their suspicions. But in the end, I’m proud of him.
Although Bridges’ Ironman workload has come under scrutiny, he said his problem is more mental than physical.
“I was just too mental about myself, I wanted to win so much and I was so frustrated with certain things that it kind of took everything away from me,” Bridges said. “I play the game with joy. That’s always how I played. And when people ask me and say, “You’re not the same anymore,” and it totally doesn’t match my emotions, that means something. This means that I am not here as I would like to be.
Bridges had a similar conversation with his mother during the season.
He also admitted that his headspace wasn’t right after a Dec. 27 loss to the Bucks (when the Nets were fined for essentially playing the game) and a 12-game stretch in which they suffered 10 defeats.
“The Milwaukee game and losing on that road trip, it was tough. I think that was part of it. That didn’t help. For the players, I know I was pretty hurt by it, I was pretty upset about it,” Bridges said. “That’s just part of the problem. I think I failed mentally in this area. I was doing pretty well mentally, but I didn’t do a very good job this year. I let my emotions take over me.
“For me, it’s for the common good. I know what my goal is. I want to win, be in the playoffs, stuff like that. I’m really very frustrated. … It’s not in a selfish way, I just want to win. I definitely need to be better. That’s another thing I’m taking away from this year with the goals and when things get tough you might get hit with an uppercut and how are we going to react to that? …So when one little thing didn’t seem right or went wrong, it pissed me off even more. I’m just better mentally.
New York Post
