Miles Bridges returned to Michigan State for a second season, teamed with freshman sensation Jaren Jackson, and set his sights on an NCAA title. They didn’t reach that goal, but Bridges strengthened his NBA draft stock averaging 17.1 points and 7 rebounds a game, shooting 36.4 percent from three, and with a PER of 22.6. He was one of the best college players in the land this season.
And now he is going pro, declaring for the NBA draft.
✊🏽💚 pic.twitter.com/dzM0Drcx6B
— Miles Bridges (@MilesBridges) March 28, 2018
“God couldn’t have placed me in a better place for these last two years. I wanna thank Coach Izzo and the rest of the coaching staff for giving a skinny kid from Flint a chance to play at such a legendary program. I would like to thank the academic support for helping me out everyday. I also want to thank Spartan Nation for welcoming me with open arms into their community and school. And last but not least I would like to thank my teammates for the bond and memories that we will share for a lifetime.”
Bridges is expected to be a late lottery pick, in the 10-13 range, but could climb the board. He’s one of the best athletes in this class and plays a position of need — a lot of teams could use a reliable wing player. He’s got to work on his handles and ability to create his own shot, but working off the ball with a quality point guard he could be a real asset, even in his rookie season.