© Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
Mikas Bridges, Nic Claxton slide in on The Ringer’s latest Top 100 NBA Players ranking
Despite their generally turbulent and lopsided campaign, the Brooklyn Nets still have plenty of reasons to be thankful for this 2023-24 season, and two of them are Mikal Bridges and Nic Claxton.
This season has been a significant revelation for the Nets in fully identifying both Mikal and Clax as the desired building blocks of their future. As such, their special talent has been further highlighted by The Ringer's latest Top 100 NBA player rankings.
Mikal fills the No. 52
Despite the newfound fact this season that the No. 1 role doesn't suit him, Mikal is meanwhile a keeper for the Nets with his special two-way traits that perfectly blend any league stars. From this, it's up to the franchise to land the biggest pieces that they can attain to join the 27-year-old in their grand contending plans.
“You never have to worry about Bridges, which is its own kind of currency in a league driven by ego and the particulars of fit. If you want him to focus on locking up on defense and merely playing a role on the edges of the offense, he can be among the best in the league in both capacities. If you’d prefer that he run the show himself, he’s shown he can handle that in spots, too—along with everything in between. That low-maintenance flexibility makes Bridges not only a coach’s dream, but also an ideal building block for a Brooklyn team still figuring out its next steps. The court is Bridges’s comfort zone; there isn’t a single roster or style that wouldn’t suit him. Now the Nets just have to build out the kind of team that would help Bridges help them,” said Rob Mahoney.
Clax at No. 93
Yet again this season, Nic has cemented his case as one of the best defensive enforcers and rim protectors in today's NBA. And while he is yet to unlock a deep offensive skill set as a big man, he is in a position for a huge payday as a forthcoming unrestricted free agent because of his potential and defense reputation.
“Few players in basketball switch on defense more often than Claxton, and even fewer are forced to hold up on an island against the game’s best isolation scorers. He’s one of the league’s best rim protectors yet again this season, and he seems to take great joy in the opportunity to challenge any player bold enough to jump with him, on both ends of the floor,” wrote Justin Verrier.
