When Mikal Bridges joined Villanova University, he could only lift 135 pounds on the bench press, his right elbow stuck out like a chicken wing when shooting his jump shot, and his clumsy movements over 200 centimeters looked particularly weird. Bridges' thin body made many schools question his potential, causing his national ranking to only hover around 100.
After four seasons and thousands of hours of training, Bridges has completed a career trajectory that is rare among modern NBA players, from redshirt to Green Room, from average player evaluation to top lottery talent, and represents Villanova University has won two NCAA championships (2016, 2018). Without any super-talented players, the Wildcats have won the championship twice in the past three seasons. Bridges has also become a member of the third team in the United States.
Bridges' rise also reflects Villanova University's player development plan. Under the leadership of head coach Jay Wright, the most suitable training methods and programs are designed, including various weight training programs and shooting training. Bridges went from struggling to bench press 135 pounds to easily doing 5 reps of 225 pounds, from a weird jump shot to a coordinated and stable shooting mechanism, from a thin body to perhaps the strongest player in the history of Villanova University. In terms of statistics, his scoring growth Three times (6.4 points to 17.8 points) and a substantial increase in 3-point shooting percentage (30% to 44%). Bridges said in an interview, "They train you here to be a man before they let you go. They push you beyond your limits and evolve every year."
Former Villanova assistant coach Baker Dunleavy recalled the first time he saw Bridges play in high school, against B.J. Johnson, a star player from the same state. He relied on his wingspan and body extensibility to completely defend Johnson on the defensive end, and also took several pot shots. , "He has amazing qualities, but he is still unfinished, a semi-finished product with good physical condition, but we are already imagining how amazing his ceiling will be."
After joining Villanova University in the summer of 2014, Bridges was like a sandbag. "When playing practice games, the opponent wanted to single him out whenever they had the chance, collided with him, and then easily scored two points." Team guard Phil Booth said. After much thought and discussion, Bridges decided to accept a redshirt (a one-season layoff) to undergo muscle remodeling and repair his obvious posture and shooting weaknesses. "This was not an easy decision," coach Jim Nolan said, "but his parents and head coach Jay I agree." Bridges also happily accepted to train well first. "I have patience and willpower. The coach told me the time. I know this is what I should do. My body is not ready yet."
Bridges' comprehensive renovation started with following the daily menu set by assistant coach Ashley Howard. The coaching staff hopes that Bridges can use the most powerful 3D player of the contemporary era as a development template, which means that he must hone his shooting accuracy.
At that time, Bridges' favorite challenger was current NBA player Josh Hart. "I often taught him a lesson." Once, Hart cut in and easily ran over him. Bridges couldn't keep up and could only grab Hart's ribs, and Hart threw him away. "It flew about 4 or 5 feet away." The reason why Hart and other teammates like to challenge him is not only to help train the juniors, but also because Bridges' wingspan and hot pot ability are very challenging.
Bridges' shooting also requires reconstruction work. His elbows need to be clamped, his trajectory adjusted, and his follow-up awareness strengthened. The main focus of Villanova University's tactics is shooting, so the players practice their shooting movements and accuracy every day. Howard also designed an exclusive 5-7 training target for Bridges. There must be more than 7 shooting levels in 7 different positions on the court, including the bottom corner, 45-degree angle, top of the valley and axis area. You want to start over, and you won't let things go in order to catch up with the progress.
However, even if Bridges' shooting mechanism is indeed corrected in practice, it will relapse once the game is played. Therefore, Coach Howard keeps repeating boring videos and shooting practice sessions, "It hurts him once a day, and over time his elbow will no longer It will become crooked."
In addition, Bridges' body shaping has gradually shown results. Retraining coach John Shackleton recalled that when Bridges first joined the team, he had difficulty even doing 10 reps, but a year later he could easily do more than 50 reps. During the training process, Bridges showed his strength and desire. Whenever the coach asked him if he was okay, he always said, "Let's have another set." No matter how tired he was, Bridges did not ask for a red shirt. Any time off. Coach Shackleton believes that after a year of training, Bridges has become one of the strongest players on the team, and his physical condition allows him to guard all the way from defender to long man.
However, Bridges' old problem of disobedient elbows recurred again and again. When he started playing in his sophomore year, he only made 2 of 15 shots from the three-point line. However, he gradually improved after the coach's reminders and continuous practice corrections, coupled with his own talent and training. The results and improved physical fitness came naturally. After getting through the wall period at the beginning of the season, Bridges' final outside shooting percentage returned to 30%, and he played a bench killer when Villanova University won the NCAA championship, which also made the coaching staff optimistic. He has more confidence in his future.
Bridges' shooting ability has changed from good and bad to consistent every time he takes a shot, and he continues to hit at key moments of the season. His natural and smooth shots are like breathing, and both Bridges and the coaching staff will take credit. As for the redshirt year, "He redshirted his rookie year because he had to," coach Phil Martelli said. "Look at what he's like now, a two-time NCAA champion and league MVP, and now he's ready to be a lottery pick. Rookie."
Now Bridges is 6 feet 7 inches, 210 pounds and has a wingspan of 7 feet 2 inches. In his junior season, his 3-point shooting percentage reached 42% (averaging 5.8 shots per game), and he had 17.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 51.1%. Hit rate. In addition to improving his shooting accuracy, Bridges' shot selection is also correct. He will not rush for shots, but will find gaps through movement. Bridges is also very aware of his inherent disadvantages. He will not easily hold the ball to cut, single and dribble. Instead, he will run without the ball through the point guard's passing and screening.
Bridges is currently ranked 7th overall in the NBA's mock draft, and the ceiling is for Otto Porter and Robert Covington. BR believes that Bridges has a chance to grow intoKawhi Leonard, many coaches believe that Bridges already has the ability to defend No. 1 to 3 in the NBA. In the draft echelon dominated by senior players, Bridges can be said to be the top swingman and a very potential 3D player.
Currently in college basketball, one-and-done is very popular, and most talented players will choose universities such as Duke and Kentucky. Villanova University is good at digging diamonds out of gravel. Coach Wright believes that the team still focuses on recruiting top talents, but they have never had one-and-done players. "Our culture is to recruit players who really want to study in college." If the player is so good that he becomes a first-round pick in one year, that would be great."
The rookies in the NBA in the past two seasons have all been players who are not one-and-done, such as Malcolm Brogdon, the rookie king in the 2016-17 season, and Donovan Mitchell and Kyle Kuzma, who performed amazingly this year. From the edge of the potential list to a redshirt season, he is now preparing to enter the small green room and become a potential NBA rookie. Looking back on the redshirt season, Bridges believes that it was the most critical and correct action, "I am very lucky that I had such patience and will at that time. "Squatting first and then jumping, Bridges has proven that he is a unicorn in this echelon.
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