Nets sprinting to install plays for Mikal Bridges before season begins

NBA

By Brian Lewis

The Nets finished their preseason without incorporating any plays specifically for Mikal Bridges.

But now, they’re on a mission to change that.

“Yeah, a couple of plays. There’s a couple of good ones,” Bridges said after Sunday’s practice. “Yeah, I don’t really trip. I just try to be aggressive in any type of situation we get.”

The situation: After closing out the preseason with a win in Miami last Wednesday, the Nets have had days to prepare for the regular-season opener against Cleveland.

Coach Jacque Vaughn focused more on concepts rather than putting in plays for Bridges during the preseason.

However, that changed once the Nets returned from South Florida.

After Bridges shot just 36.6 percent in the preseason, the team is now fully committed to preparations for him.

“I put the full-court press on in introducing a lot of different concepts with these four days of practice,” Vaughn said. “So our terminology booklet has definitely increased in the last four days, and we’ve got two more days before we tip it off. Some of the things are entirely new that we put in; some are additions; some [are] continuity to some things we did last year but definitely a different look and play set than we had previously.”

The Nets heavily relied on isolation plays last season, leveraging the one-on-one dominance of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

But now, the Nets’ strategy has changed, and their offensive scheme must change accordingly.

“You’ve got to think of the guys that were here right before February happened. You’ve got two of the best iso players in the world, so the offense is going to fit them. And it’s tough to really change an offense halfway in,” Bridges said. “But now just having an offseason and just playing to our strengths.

“Pick-and-roll is really good for us, screening away, just a lot of those actions are good for us.”

Both Vaughn and Bridges agree that isolation is no longer the Nets’ strength, except for young guard Cam Thomas.

Instead, expect to see Ben Simmons pushing the pace and lots of off-ball cuts from Bridges and Cam Johnson.

In the annual survey by NBA general managers, Bridges was voted the second-best player in the league at moving without the ball, just behind superstar Stephen Curry.

This is something the Nets plan to utilize.

“When we had our previous group, it was probably smart to play iso basketball; those dudes shot at a high clip,” Vaughn said. “This group has different talents: Mikal, CJ [and] their ability to cut off the basketball. So how can we incorporate that? They’re growing as pick-and-roll players. Their points-per-possession is pretty good [1.06 and 1.00]. But we want to increase that. That comes with spacing, with who’s on the floor with them. But they haven’t mastered that skill.

“So we don’t want to put Mikal in pick-and-roll every single time just to grow that part of his game because I’ll always do what’s best for the group. Now we can grow his game by having sets that put him in a position where he’s playing pick-and-roll. … So it’s going to really dictate who’s on the floor and how we develop our guys and challenge them. Embrace what we can do and do that well.”

After the trade deadline, the Nets relied heavily on Bridges’ scoring. He excelled by averaging 26.1 points for the team by simply being put into the same midrange actions they had for Durant.

Now, with plays tailored specifically for Bridges, he won’t have to imitate Durant anymore.

In addition, Bridges and other Nets players will benefit from Simmons’ fast pace, creating open 3-point opportunities for them as they quickly get to their spots.

“You get good looks,” Bridges said. “You’ve definitely got to adjust and be

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