Miles Bridges, the #12 lottery pick in 2018, is making poignant headlines this season. Stacking stellar performances on a night-after-night basis. Head Coach James Borrego said after a win last season that “…if Lamelo Ball and Bridges both play to their ability, Charlotte would win.”

The versatile forward out of Michigan State has hearkened to that call, establishing himself this year as a premier player and leader amongst a young talented nucleus of players. Miles’ understanding of the game compared to last year is considerably improved as he has now bolsters an almost 10 points per game increase; processing the game at a faster pace all while slowing down his at times erratic style. This has lead him to be much more proficient in Borrego’s system.

There were times last season that Bridges seemed to only be a mere hustling de facto and glue guy for the squad, he now has emerged as its most active, and arguably one of the biggest contributing pieces on a team that’s youthful, daring, and veering for playoff contention. Bridges this year has had more ball handling duties and has shown gyrating improvement in that department, perhaps the biggest leap in his skillset. Showcasing more live dribbles and change of direction sequences, leading to more free throws or simply thunderous athletic finishes after 1 counter move on defenses. He’s excelled with this newfound freedom.

In his 4th NBA season with the Hornets his talent seems to be translating convincingly because he’s comfortable now in an isolation situation, shooting off the catch, and running the floor. Right before the season started Miles bet on himself, turning down what was rumored to be around a 4 year, 60 million dollar contract. Mitch Kupchak (General Manager of the Charlotte Hornets) has gone on record to express his admiration for the young forward. Miles and the organization have agreed on deciding the future when the season ends.

Like Fellow Michigan State alumni Draymond Green, Miles seems to have a chip on his shoulder in believing he’s a premier player deserving of possibly a max deal. The young forward has proven that thus far this season.