Bridges is one of — if not the — most impressive athlete in this year’s athletically-blessed class. At 6-7, he’s built like a freight train, yet boasts the vertical leaping capability to compete with the likes of Malik Monk and Josh Jackson. He’s somewhat of a tweener postion-wise, but has made some significant improvements this season in regards to showcasing his prowess as a wing. His strength could allow him to spend some time as a small ball four (where he has been playing his entire career), but his biggest hurdle in transitioning to the next level will be getting comfortable as a key cog on the perimeter.
Although he has been playing power forward for Michigan State this season, Bridges has done some good work in terms of downplaying some of those concerns, starting with the strides he has made as a shooter. He’s currently hitting on 41.3 percent of his shots from deep on 4.7 attempts per game. That’s an incredible boost for somebody who was considered shaky at best coming into his first season of college ball, and something that has helped maintain his status as an elite prospect among a historically strong crop of freshman talent.
That improvement as a shooter also helps open up opportunities for Bridges to play to his strengths elsewhere on the floor. He’s a dangerous slasher given his explosiveness en route to the rim. Being able to keep defenders honest all the way out to the perimeter is going to allow him to move more off the ball, while not allowing defenders to back off him once he positions himself on the exterior.
Previous Ranking: 11
While this matchup with Lauri Markkanen is abnormally favorable for Bridges, notice how easily he’s able to get to the rim once he detects space. His athleticism and quickness — for his size — is simply uncanny.
Here, Bridges gets behind the defense in the pick-and-roll, allowing him to get to the rim and go up for this one.
An athlete of Bridges caliber who can space the floor with a reliable jumper is quite the asset for an NBA team. His mobility and versatile style of play should allow him to make that jump to small forward, it’s just a matter of him adjusting his game as such versus professional athletes — who will provide far greater resistance.
Bridges’ potential also extends to the defensive end, though, something that shouldn’t be affected much by his positional conundrum. He boasts the lateral quickness and strength needed to guard either wing spot effectively, and can use his strength to hold his own against larger fours which asked to. Once again, he’s better off on the wing, but in a league that thrives on flexible defensive schemes, allowing Bridges to switch around the floor is a valuable addition.