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Mikal Bridges Breaks Silence on Knicks Rumors Post Jacque Vaughn Era in Brooklyn

Published 02/20/2024, 8:38 PM EST

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USA Today via Reuters

Mikal Bridges is all in for a long stay with the Brooklyn Nets. Over the last few days, the Nets have had serious changes within the franchise. The team took a drastic call to fire coach Jacque Vaughn with hardly a month left into the post-season. On the other hand, Bridges was tied along in New York Knicks trade rumors, following Spencer Dinwiddie’s exit.

Amid these testing times for the Nets, Bridges held the franchise together with a positive statement. He said, “I wasn’t raised when things get tough to wanna get out… A lot of people might think about different teams… I got my boys over in New York, so obviously everybody goes with that… But I’m here now and I wanna stay here.”

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Ever since the exit of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, the Nets have been nowhere closer to be a threatening side. Even though the team regularly showed spurts of individual talents, those weren’t enough to build a strong team.

Currently, they are in a disappointing slump, losing 5 out of their last 6 games, which also includes a 50-point blow-out loss against the Boston Celtics. Moreover, they also have a very bleak chance at the ring, as they are currently in 11th seed with a 21-33 record. On the other hand, with the return of Ben Simmons to the line-up, the team can put the star guard’s expertise to advantage in the remainder of the season.

Along with that, the team’s interim coach, Kevin Ollie, has a NCAA title under his name. And he has also been working with the team since the start of the season. So Ollie could turn things around for the New York City team on the last stretch.

“I’m Built for This”: Nets’ Temporary HC Kevin Ollie on Picking up Jacque Vaughn’s Slack

Let’s take a look at the Nets’ offense. Will it be built around Mikal Bridges?

Who will lead the Nets’ offense?

Hours before the drastic call to fire Vaughn, Shams Charania, an NBA insider, stated that Bridges have been vocal around the team’s practice sessions, after Dinwiddie’s exit. At the same time, the team took a shot at the Vaughn’s approach to offense, criticized it for lacking structure.

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Hours after his update, the management fired the coach and roped in Kevin Ollie. Before the team roped him ahead of this season, Ollie worked as head of coaching and development of basketball for Overtime Elite, league for youth between the age of 16-20.

With only 30 odd games remaining in the season, the Nets need to win maximum to seal their spot in the postseason.

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What do you make of Mikal Bridges’ promising statement? Let us know in the comments below.

 

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Written by:

Shahul Hameed

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Shahul Hameed is a Senior NBA Writer at EssentiallySports. Armed with a Master's Degree in journalism from a distinguished institute, his journey into sports writing began during his college days, and since then, Shahul has been captivated not only by the remarkable consistency of Stephen Curry but also by the enduring legacy of LeBron James. He specializes in covering the live basketball action.
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Edited by:

Sameen Nawathe