How Bridges Became the NBA's Most Underrated Two-Way Player

I remember watching that TNT-Ginebra game last season, thinking how basketball narratives can shift in moments. Jayson Castro’s lay-up put TNT up 89-80 with just 1:47 remaining—what seemed like a comfortable cushion. Then came that classic Ginebra fightback: Brownlee’s four-point play followed by a lay-up cutting the lead to three with only 20 seconds left. It was in those chaotic final moments that I realized something about modern basketball—we consistently undervalue players who impact both ends without flashy highlights. This brings me to Mikal Bridges, who quietly embodies what makes two-way players so essential yet so overlooked in today’s NBA.

When I first watched Bridges at Villanova, his game wasn’t screaming superstar—no explosive 40-point outings or viral ankle-breakers. But his defensive instincts and off-ball movement stood out. Fast forward to his Phoenix Suns days, and he was that reliable wing who’d guard the opponent’s best player while efficiently knocking down corner threes. I’ve tracked his on/off court numbers—with Bridges, the Suns’ defensive rating improved by approximately 4.7 points per 100 possessions during the 2021-22 season. Yet, you’d rarely hear his name in All-Star conversations. It reminds me of that TNT-Ginebra sequence: Castro’s lay-up was crucial, but it was the preceding defensive stops that made it possible. Similarly, Bridges’ value isn’t in last-second heroics but in the cumulative effect of his two-way presence.

Let’s break down why players like Bridges fly under the radar. The NBA media cycle thrives on offensive explosions—50-point games, deep step-back threes, poster dunks. Defense doesn’t always translate to highlight reels. I’ve noticed how Bridges’ defensive footwork—how he navigates screens or contains drives—rarely gets the slow-motion treatment that a crossover does. Plus, his offensive game isn’t ball-dominant; he averaged around 17 points last season, but many came from cuts or spot-ups. In a league where usage rate often defines stardom, Bridges’ style doesn’t fit the mold. Think back to Brownlee’s four-point play—it’s the flashy moment fans remember, not the defensive rotations that led to the foul. That’s the core issue: we’re conditioned to celebrate the spectacular, leaving two-way contributors in the shadows.

So how do we fix this perception? From my experience covering the league, it starts with redefining what “impact” means. Advanced metrics like Defensive Estimated Plus-Minus and On-Off Net Rating need more mainstream attention. Bridges, for instance, ranked in the 94th percentile for defensive EPM last season—numbers that scream elite but don’t trend on social media. Teams also play a role; the Nets leveraging him as a primary option post-trade highlighted his offensive growth, but it’s his lockdown defense that truly shifts games. I’d love to see more real-time analysis during broadcasts focusing on defensive possessions, much like how that TNT-Ginebra game’s final minutes could’ve used breakdowns of defensive schemes rather than just scoring runs.

What Bridges teaches us is that sustainability often trumps explosiveness. In today’s positionless basketball, a player who can guard multiple positions and space the floor is a cheat code. I’ve always preferred these low-ego, high-IQ players—they’re the glue that holds systems together. Looking ahead, as the NBA evolves, I bet we’ll see Bridges’ blueprint become the gold standard for two-way wings. Maybe then we’ll stop overlooking the subtle art of impacting both ends, just like how that Castro lay-up—set up by relentless two-way effort—deserved more credit than the dramatic Brownlee sequence that followed.