Miles Bridges, Grade: A-
On the court, it’s tough to find much fault in Miles’ game. Since returning to the lineup he has been an absolute rock for this team, a small shred of consistency in a season that has been anything but that.
He’s become a really good scorer and playmaker while being asked to guard up on defense and crash the boards and rebound. He’s done it all and has improved his efficiency in the process.
Bridges has become the Hornets’ closest thing to a go-to guy this year, largely due to the absences of other players. But he has stepped up admirably and filled the role, averaging a career-high 21.5 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.1 blocks, and 0.6 steals per game and doing it while shooting 37% from three-point land on 6.6 attempts a night.
Those are very impressive numbers for Bridges, especially after missing more than an entire season due to suspension stemming from his domestic violence charges. Despite serving the final 10 games of his suspension this season, he still leads the team in total minutes and has been a bit of an iron man.
His on-court play combined with off-court issues have made his contract situation into a fascinating one, and we’ll see how it plays out this offseason as he hits unrestricted free agency.