Jalen Brunson Praises Team USA Teammate For Carrying The Team
On Tuesday morning, Team USA claimed an easy blowout win over Italy in the quarterfinal round of the FIBA World Cup which allowed it to advance to the semifinal round.
One of the reasons the squad has had success so far in the tournament has been the offensive balance it has had throughout its roster.
The group doesn’t have any truly dominant offensive players, and thus it has often had a different leading scorer.
On Tuesday, it was Mikal Bridges of the Brooklyn Nets who led the way with 24 points on 8-of-11 shooting in just 18 minutes.
Teammate Jalen Brunson praised Bridges afterward, as he wasn’t surprised by the forward’s offensive performance, via Naveen Ganglani.
As two guys who go way back, Jalen Brunson isn’t surprised by the way Mikal Bridges carried the offensive load tonight for USA, noting that it’s something he has the ability to do. pic.twitter.com/0LBShucP9r
— Naveen Ganglani (@naveenganglani) September 5, 2023
Bridges is one of the game’s best two-way players, and in four-and-a-half seasons with the Phoenix Suns, he gained a reputation as an elite 3-and-D wing.
But after getting traded to the Nets in the Kevin Durant deal, he exploded and proved he is more than just a role or complementary player.
He averaged 26.1 points a game in 27 contests with the Nets, and perhaps he is on a trajectory that will result in an All-Star Game selection for him.
Brooklyn has an interesting young roster that includes another former Suns player in Cameron Johnson, guard Spencer Dinwiddie, and the talented but enigmatic Ben Simmons.
Unlike the last few seasons, during which the Nets had to deal with lofty expectations because they had a superteam, they can now play free and easy while developing at their own pace, since a low playoff seed seems to be their ceiling.
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