Mikal Bridges was a key cog in the Nets’ success over the first quarter of the season, so it’s no surprise that his first extended offensive slump has been a major factor during the team’s recent slide.
Brooklyn’s second-leading scorer has connected on only 27.4 percent of his field-goal attempts during the Nets’ four-game losing streak entering Friday’s home game against the Nuggets.
That 17-for-62 shooting stretch includes 17 misses in 21 attempts — and a 1-for-8 night from 3-point range — in Wednesday’s loss to the Knicks.
“They’re a good defensive team, for sure, but I feel like I was missing good ones, easy ones. A lot of ’em were missing ones I usually make,” Bridges said after Wednesday’s game. “It’s just tough, you obviously want them all to go in, but just keep shooting them and they’re gonna go in eventually.”
The 27-year-old forward shot 38.3 percent from 3-point range and 48.3 percent overall through the Nets’ 13-10 start, averaging 23.0 points per game.
The four-game losing streak has dropped the Nets’ record (13-14) below .500, with Bridges’ production slipping to 13.8 points per game over that stretch, including a season-low nine points against the Nuggets last week in Denver.
“It’s just the way the ebbs and flow of the season go,” coach Jacque Vaughn said. “At the end of this thing, I’m quite sure his averages will be where they’re supposed to be, and he’ll be an impactful player like he’s been the majority of this season. You just go through little patches where the ball isn’t going in for you.
“But I also thought he was really good [defensively] on [Jalen] Brunson early in [Wednesday’s] game. … Mikal is more than just scoring for us, and I don’t want to get in a position where I’m thinking of him as just a scorer. He does so much more for us.”
Cam Johnson, who came over from the Suns with Bridges in the Kevin Durant trade last February, offered simple advice from his personal experience with shooting slumps.
“Keep shooting, and don’t listen to other people. That’s it,” Johnson said. “People say all types of stuff, don’t listen to them. Focus on what you do, Believe in yourself, and at the end of the day, it’s gonna come back around.”
Vaughn, who intimated he’s contemplating a lineup change for Friday’s game to combat his team’s recent slow starts, added he told the players “that this is a great challenge overall for our team, and individually.”
“We’ve hit a little spot in the season, like a lot of teams do. We’ve lost a few games in a row. Who’s gonna respond, and how are we gonna respond?” Vaughn said. “I have full confidence that Mikal is gonna get his body and mind right and be ready to go next game, and our group will, also. This is a great challenge for us at this time of the year.”
From a team standpoint, Bridges noted the Nets need to “go out there and set the tone offensively and defensively, just start strong and be physical from the jump.”
Rediscovering his shooting touch will come from that collective effort, he believes.
“I feel like I’m just missing good looks,” Bridges said. “I’m getting to spots. The ones I’m missing, I’m getting there. Other ones, it goes as a miss, where I think I’m getting fouled.
“It’s just tough, I don’t want to miss, I want to make every single one. It’s just tough right now. Just gotta get ready for the next one and keep shooting the ones I like.”
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