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Phoenix Suns rookie Mikal Bridges has impressed scouts during his workouts and with endless clips of his most recent college season, but he could be in line to be one of the fastest catch-and-shoot prodigies this league has seen.
According to Evan Sidery of Bright Side of the Sun, Bridges' jump shot release defeats that of Klay Thompson, clocked an average of 0.79 seconds.
“Went back and timed Mikal Bridges and he was consistently hitting 0.73 seconds on his 3s. Bridges is going to be a catch-and-shoot monster right away.”
Standing at a very similar 6-foot-7 and 210 pounds, the Villanova standout will surely have no problems adjusting to a 24-second shot clock and the modern 15-second inner possession that most NBA teams thrive by, but it's yet to be seen if he can match Thompson's perennial 3-point prowess.
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Bridges has improved after every season with the Wildcats, going from a measly 30 percent during his freshman season to a brimming 43.5 percent in his junior season after hitting 39.3 percent of his shots from deep as a sophomore.
Yet Thompson has shot over 40 percent in every one of his seven seasons in the league, shooting a career-high 44 percent in 2017-18.
Bridges is a bright Suns prospect with his athleticism and ability to defend the perimeter — if he can put those abilities together with elite-level 3-point shooting, his ceiling can surely reach All-Star level in the near future.
