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2018 Orlando Magic NBA Draft Preview: Mikal Bridges, the veteran leader

By Philip Rossman-Reich

PHILADELPHIA, PA - NOVEMBER 29: Mikal Bridges #25 of the Villanova Wildcats during a game against the Penn Quakers at The Palestra on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania on November 29, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Villanova defeated Penn 82-57. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - NOVEMBER 29: Mikal Bridges #25 of the Villanova Wildcats during a game against the Penn Quakers at The Palestra on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania on November 29, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Villanova defeated Penn 82-57. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images) /
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Mikal Bridges, Villanova Wildcats
PHILADELPHIA, PA – NOVEMBER 29: Mikal Bridges #25 of the Villanova Wildcats during a game against the Penn Quakers at The Palestra on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania on November 29, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Villanova defeated Penn 82-57. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images) /

Mikal Bridges has one of the highest floors in the NBA Draft. He is a guy who can hit 3-pointers and defend well. But where is his ceiling?

There are precious few players at the top of the NBA Draft who have stayed in school long enough to show real progression and real growth. At least going from role player to star player. The kind of growth that is supposed to come for young players as they get more playing time and experience.

It is a steady progression and growth that has gone away from the game in a lot of ways. Development became a job for the NBA teams taking in all the freshmen players. And that means not every player comes ready to enter the league.

Finding a player with some elite skill or trait that had developed over years in the college game has become rare.

This is where talk of “ceilings” and “upside” become a negative thing. The unknown in the Draft seems to have more value than the known. That is the unfortunate reality for a lot of players. There are precious few who spend real time in college and can generate buzz in the NBA.

Malcolm Brogdon was the last player to win rookie of the year with more than one year of college experience. And he won in a year that had a poor rookie class — he was taken in the second round. Damian Lillard in 2013 was the last upperclassmen before then to win. It is a rare thing.

Mikal Bridges is probably not that kind of player. But he was the kind of player who burst out and grew year over year. No one really saw him becoming this player his junior year. A key player to a national championship team.

Bridges is just solid in a lot of ways. That is how he nearly doubled his scoring average to 17.7 points per game and shot 43.5 percent from beyond the arc. He posted a 62.3 percent effective field goal percentage. He was an efficient 3-point shooter and a solid overall player.

Bridges proved capable of going on big scoring bursts, getting hot from three and slashing to the basket. There is a lot to like. Even if he may never be the star player that teams want at the top of the Draft.

Instead, at the very least, Bridges seems like a safe bet to become a solid role player for any team that drafts him.