Former Suns F Mikal Bridges Praises Lakers' Rising Star

Former Phoenix Suns forward Mikal Bridges knows Austin Reaves is tough to handle on the court.

Former Phoenix Suns forward Mikal Bridges knows all about Los Angeles Lakers rising star Austin Reaves. 

Before departing via trade to the Brooklyn Nets, Bridges saw Reaves up close and in person as the Suns-Lakers battled numerous times through the course of a season as divisional rivals.

Bridges has cemented himself as one of the top players on the defensive side of the court while also taking his scoring to the next level in Brooklyn. The Lakers have seen a similar rise in Reaves, who hit new heights for Los Angeles in the postseason and is now teammates with Bridges on Team USA ahead of their FIBA World Cup debut. 

“This ain’t no underdog s--- no more,” Bridges said of Reaves via The Los Angeles Times. “He’s here.”

Last season, Reaves notched his first triple-double and averaged 13 points, three rebounds and 3.4 assists on 52% shooting. The Lakers rewarded him with a 4 year/ $53,827,872 contract in the offseason to keep him in LA. 

“I’ve been a fan. … I think the biggest thing about him I like is that he knows how to draw a foul,” Bridges said. 

“He knows how to create fouls and get to the free-throw line and that’s like a skill. He’s not just getting there. There’s a skill to that and it’s very underrated. People don’t really understand it but the ones that do, they know how tough it is to guard.

“That s---‘s an art.”