There are just some players who just get away from some franchises. Those select few players get overlooked and they are then moved in order to bring in a player believed to have a higher upside.
For the Philadelphia 76ers, that player is Mikal Bridges who was selected by Philadelphia with the 10th pick in the 2018 NBA draft out of Villanova. Minutes later, the Sixers sent Bridges to the Phoenix Suns in a deal that netted them the 16th pick which turned out to be Zhaire Smith.
For the Sixers, the move did not work out as Smith suffered a multitude of injuries before he was moved in a trade in the 2020 offseason. Bridges has turned into a solid 3-and-D player for the Suns and he made an impact in Tuesday’s 118-105 Game 1 win over the Milwaukee Bucs in the 2021 NBA finals.
Bridges poured in 14 points and he knocked down a couple of triples while also providing good play on the defensive end to get the job done. Former Sixers assistant, now Suns head coach, Monty Williams has done a great job continuing to develop his game.
Another former Sixer, Dario Saric, only played two minutes before leaving with a right knee injury. As this series goes on, Phoenix will need more strong performances from Bridges as well as hoping Saric can return.
As for the Sixers, they will continue to try and pick up the pieces from their disappointing playoff finish. They have a lot of talent, but they also have questions to answer.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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