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2018 NBA Draft: Best team fits for 5 of the top prospects

By Mason McFee

CHAMPAIGN, IL - JANUARY 22: Miles Bridges #22 talks with Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans late in the game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at State Farm Center on January 22, 2018 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - JANUARY 22: Miles Bridges #22 talks with Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans late in the game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at State Farm Center on January 22, 2018 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – FEBRUARY 10: Mikal Bridges #25 of the Villanova Wildcats looks on dunking the ball against the Butler Bulldogs at the Wells Fargo Center on February 10, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – FEBRUARY 10: Mikal Bridges #25 of the Villanova Wildcats looks on dunking the ball against the Butler Bulldogs at the Wells Fargo Center on February 10, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

Best Fit #5: Mikal Bridges Is Falling Down… Draft Boards?

Mikal Bridges: Chicago Bulls 

I don’t get why Mikal Bridges isn’t getting talked about more.

No, don’t hit me with ‘Villanova plays in the Big East’. What conference they play in doesn’t matter to head coach Jay Wright, as Villanova was the #1 team in the nation at one point this season. While Villanova was recently upset by St. John’s, they are still 23-3 and 10-3 in conference play; plus St. John’s had just beaten Duke a few days prior as well. What we were talking about?

Don’t hit me with ‘he plays at Villanova’ either. There have been plenty of superstars that have come out of small schools. Does the name Steph Curry ring a bell?

More from Sir Charles In Charge

Mikal Bridges’ career numbers won’t jump off the page at you, I admit it – 10.1 PPG, 1.6 APG, 4.3 RPG. But take a look at this season’s numbers, and they tell a different story:16.5 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 2.2 APG

While a 0.6 increase in assist average might not turn your head, a 6 point increase compared to your career scoring average might – and of those 5.5 boards he averages a game? 1.4 are offensive. Not bad for a player that’s listed at 6-foot-6, and who spends most of his time on the wings.

As you can guess, scoring has not been Bridges’ calling card – his defense has. He typically takes on the opposing team’s best player, and almost always does a solid job. He’s gritty, and plays with energy – the perfect glue guy in today’s NBA. Better yet, his 3P% has gotten better every year – he shot a ghastly 29.9% his freshman year, but is up all the way up to 40.3% this season. Some may say that it’s more a result of players like Josh Hart and Kris Jenkins being gone, and Bridges having to step up in necessity, but I’d argue that he is just taking full advantage of the void left behind.

He reminds me a lot of Dwayne Bacon – a player who knows his strengths are slashing and 3-point shooting, but can try to do too much at times. Somewhat shaky handle. If you want an easier comparison, think Igoudala with a consistent 3 point shot to start.

So where do I think Bridges’ skillset would be utilized? Chi-Town.

Must Read: 2018 NBA Mock Draft 1.0: Versatile bigs dominate the top 5

The jury’s still out on whether or not Zach LaVine can be Chicago’s two guard of the future, but I think Kris Dunn has staked his claim at the one, and Markannen is going to be a really solid stretch-big for them. Obviously a lot can happen in the offseason, but I think that Chicago would be a good place for him to land – Hoiberg employs the pace-and-space system. What does Bridges play with? What does he shoot well? I’ll let you fill in the gap.