Nets' Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson to gain international experience playing in World Cup
Nets forward Mikal Bridges reacts late in the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 3 of their playoff series at Barclays Center on April 20, 2023. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
LAS VEGAS — Cam Johnson and Mikal Bridges’ friendship was built through reliability as much as age and shared interests. As Johnson put it in April, he’s never played in an NBA game without Bridges.
That, of course, comes from Bridges playing in 392 consecutive games, the NBA’s longest active streak. Now the Nets’ duo’s connection will go international when both suit up for Team USA in the FIBA World Cup.
Bridges was among the players singled out by Team USA coach Steve Kerr when the roster was formally announced last week. As much as Bridges’ offensive game improved after his trade from the Suns, Kerr plans to highlight why he made the All-Defensive First Team two seasons ago.
“There’s no question in my mind that Mikal Bridges is going to be a huge factor for us defensively,” Kerr said on a Zoom call. “As a coach, . . . you say well who’s going to guard Luka [Doncic], who’s going to guard Giannis Antetokounmpo. One of the reasons we built the roster the way we did was we have multiple options for these sort of things.”
As for Johnson, Kerr praised his ability to stretch the floor with his shooting. Johnson may not be an All-Star like fellow Team USA forwards Jaren Jackson Jr. or Brandon Ingram but Kerr said all 12 players will be counted on in some fashion.
“I’ve seen injuries, matchups change, seen so many things that called for different players and people to step up at different times,” Kerr said. “That’s what I’m excited for coming up in this tournament.”
Training camp will be from Aug. 3-6 in Las Vegas and the World Cup runs from Aug. 23-Sept. 9 in the Philippines.
The Twins — Johnson and Bridges’ nickname — won’t be the only friendly connection on Team USA. Bridges is reunited with former Villanova teammates Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart, which prompted Hart to joke on Twitter it was “Just the beginning.”
Lest any Nets or Knicks fans get excited or worried, Bridges fired back with a spicy tweet to shoot it down.
“#tampering where’s Adam,” Bridges wrote, referring to NBA commissioner Adam Silver.
While it’s true that Team USA connections often build relationships that might help in free agency or trade talks, it’s also akin to a graduate-level course in skill development.
That’s how Nets coach Jacque Vaughn sees it. Johnson and Bridges will be counted on more to lead a team that got younger this offseason. So what better way to grow in that role than being surrounded by other top young players.
It’s one more shared experience for “The Twins” and Vaughn was excited to see how it pays off for them and the Nets next season.
“I think it's going to give them an extreme amount of confidence [and] leadership,” Vaughn said. “They'll see other really good dudes around them, how they participate, how they dive into their own future. So I think it's great that they're playing.”
Notes & quotes: The Nets and Knicks might have been a summer battle for New York but the game turned one-sided in the second half. The Nets won, 98-80, at Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas for their first Summer League win.
Armani Brooks had his second consecutive game with at least five made three-pointers and led the Nets with 21 points. David Duke Jr. added 19 points and second-round pick Jalen Wilson had 18 points and eight rebounds.
Noah Clowney struggled with early foul trouble and shot just 2-for-6 from the field. But the first-round pick contributed elsewhere with seven rebounds and two blocks.
The Nets next face the Bucks Wednesday (6 p.m., ESPNU).
Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
