Charlotte Hornets “trending” towards starting Miles Bridges at power forward
There is a legit possibility that the Charlotte Hornets will move Miles Bridges’ primary position to power forward during the 2019-20 season.
Many fans have been debating what the Charlotte Hornets starting lineup should look like next season, but one domino may have fallen, as Head Coach James Borrego told the media yesterday that he is “trending” towards starting Miles Bridges as the power forward spot.
As a rookie last season, Bridges spent most of his time at the small forward spot, but being the tweener he is, he did spent some time at power forward as well. With the league embracing small-ball more and more, it doesn’t surprise me at all that Bridges is being looked at as more of a four.
Some guys struggle when changing positions, and I’m not saying that Bridges’ transition will go smoothly, but he is an excellent defender and can guard multiple positions, and will be a mismatch for a lot of power forwards on the perimeter. With his athleticism and vision, he’ll be able to get into the paint and create.
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Down the stretch of this past season, Bridges played some more power forward and that’s when he was playing his best basketball. It’s definitely something worth experimenting with, and it could make for a really exciting starting lineup.
Bridges averaged 10.2 points and 5.3 rebounds in the month of April, and he was extremely impressive on the defensive end of the court.
He also certainly has the strength to play power forward. Bridges didn’t come into the league looking very thin like a lot of young players do. He’s big and bulky and will be able to hold his own when guarding bigger guys thanks to that strength.
His 6’9″ wingspan and natural defensive instincts don’t hurt, either.
As a rookie last season, Bridges averaged 7.5 points and 4.0 rebounds while shooting 33 percent from deep. The Hornets are hoping he takes a big jump as a sophomore and one of the leaders of the team.
If Bridges does indeed start at the power forward spot next season, that would likely mean that Marvin Williams moves into a bench role. Williams is a reliable stretch four and a good veteran, so I’m sure he’d take the demotion like a professional.
It would also mean that the Hornets can move both Malik Monk and Dwayne Bacon into the starting lineup along with Bridges and fully embrace the youth. The development of those players are going to be absolutely critical for this franchise moving forward.
So, it sounds like James Borrego will likely shift Miles Bridges to the four spot for the Charlotte Hornets. It will be interesting to see how much power forward minutes he gets in Summer League, and if he can use this opportunity to carry momentum going into next season.
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With the way the NBA is going, Miles Bridges could be a perfect power forward for what the Charlotte Hornets are looking to do on the floor.