Charlotte Hornets: Miles Bridges misses out on All-Rookie honors

The NBA released the All-Rookie teams for the 2018-19 season today, but Charlotte Hornets wing Miles Bridges was left off of both teams.

After a strong close to the 2018-19 season, I was left wondering if Charlotte Hornets rookie Miles Bridges could make a run and be named to an All-Rookie team. I got my answer today, though, as Bridges was ultimately left off the first and second team.

The NBA released the All-Rookie teams just after 2:00 ET today. Luka Doncic and Trae Young, the two front runners for the Rookie of the Year Award, headline the stacked teams, which also included all of the top five picks from the 2018 NBA Draft.

Bridges received just one first-team vote and four second-team votes, which is surprisingly low, in my opinion.

Bridges didn’t have a spectacular rookie season by any means, but he did show a ton of promise during the second half of the season. He was promoted to the starting unit after the All-Star break and averaged 9.6 points and 5.3 rebounds during that stretch, while shooting 35 percent from deep.

With Bridges moving into the starting lineup, that means Jeremy Lamb would move to the bench, but it was a move by Coach Borrego that worked out very nicely. Lamb was a great sixth man for the Hornets, and Bridges provided much-needed perimeter defense for the starting five.

Overall, Bridges averaged 7.5 points and 4.0 rebounds during the 2018-19 season. He showcased his insane leaping ability all season long, and even participated in the Dunk Contest as a rookie. He certainly had a lot of good moments as a first year professional.

I didn’t expect Bridges to make an All-Rookie team, but I do believe that he does deserve some more recognition. Based on what I saw in the second half of the season, he is a very promising player that has a chance to be an elite defender.

Obviously, I shouldn’t be judging anyone off of a 25-game stretch of the season, but I firmly believe that Bridges will have a lot of success in the NBA. He has a high work ethic and is in a great situation for playing time moving forward.

He should be the teams starting small forward for many years to come. If he can keep developing his jump shot and improve his ball handling, he has a chance to become a very good player in year two.

In case you were wondering, the last Charlotte Hornets player to make an All-Rookie team was Cody Zeller during the 2013-14 season. He averaged 6.0 points and 4.3 rebounds for the then Charlotte Bobcats after being picked fourth overall in the 2013 NBA Draft.

At the end of the day, making an All-Rookie team isn’t really a huge deal, but it is a good accomplishment on a personal level, and it’s nice to get that recognition around the league. Hopefully not being on either team will add to the chip that is on Bridges’ shoulder.