Charlotte Hornets: Grading Miles Bridges’ 2019-2020 season

Miles Bridges’ season for the Charlotte Hornets was full of ups and downs, but overall, it wasn’t bad as far as second years go. Let’s take a closer look at what he achieved in a condensed 2019-2020 NBA campaign.

After just under two full seasons in the NBA, Miles Bridges still remains somewhat of an enigma. He has all the talent in the world and saw a lot of improvement from year one to year two for the Charlotte Hornets. Yet, it’s hard to assess where his actual ceiling is.

He’s got all the athleticism and talent in the world, but several areas of his game need to improve if he wants to truly be a great small forward in the league. Despite a few lacking areas, however, he has shown promise in a short period of time.

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His scoring output almost doubled from last year to now, going from 7.5 to 13 points a game. His rebounding numbers went up as well, snagging six rebounds per contest to four last season. He’s playing nine more minutes this season compared to last, so it would make sense to see those numbers go up.

One thing I’ve harped on throughout the past season was the team’s defense and Bridges has the worst defensive rating on the team. Granted, he is guarding multiple positions on the floor, from the four all the way to the two, so that’s a lot of the league’s offensive talent he’s defending.

I would also like to see his three-point shooting improve. His 33% from deep isn’t bad for a small forward, but with him being somewhat undersized for his position, he has trouble against longer defenders. If he can improve his mid-range and perimeter and not rely on catch-and-shoot situations or slashing, he could be a great all-around offensive player.

He could also be a batter ball-handler and distribute the ball a little more. He only averaged two assists per game this past season and with combo forwards being all the rage, it would be nice to see a more even stat line, especially if he can make his way to the rim and kick out to the open shooters more often.

I’m hoping that Miles can find his niche in the rotation because he’s shown a talent for scoring, finishing third on the team in that category. He just needs a more well-rounded game and the ability to create his own shot more often. Being undersized, he’ll always have trouble against taller players, but if he can also improve his ball-handling, that will help him get to the basket more easily.

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