Valley of the Suns
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Exclusive: 5 Mikal Bridges Q’s and A’s with a shooting coach

By Dan Volpone

PHOENIX, AZ - JUNE 22: Draft pick Mikal Bridges poses for a portrait at the Post NBA Draft press conference on June 22, 2018, at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images)
PHOENIX, AZ - JUNE 22: Draft pick Mikal Bridges poses for a portrait at the Post NBA Draft press conference on June 22, 2018, at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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SAN ANTONIO, TX – MARCH 31: Mikal Bridges #25 of the Villanova Wildcats high fives fans on the way off the court after beating the Kansas Jayhawks in the 2018 NCAA Men’s Final Four semifinal game at the Alamodome on March 31, 2018 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
SAN ANTONIO, TX – MARCH 31: Mikal Bridges #25 of the Villanova Wildcats high fives fans on the way off the court after beating the Kansas Jayhawks in the 2018 NCAA Men’s Final Four semifinal game at the Alamodome on March 31, 2018 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) /

Improvements throughout college

Valley of the Suns: Bridges’ 3-point shot improved throughout college, up to well over 40 percent his final season. What changes did he make to improve so much?

@BehindCurve: According to this great piece by Pete Thamel:

"When Mikal Bridges arrived at Villanova… his right elbow jutted out like a chicken wing on his jumper, a gawky motion that twinned with his gangly 6-foot-7 body."

Here are a couple low-quality looks at his HS shot:

And one from his first year in the lineup at ‘Nova: a bit “Lonzoesque” left to right.

In my opinion his issues were:

  1. His guide hand was extending fully, likely interfering with his shot.
  2. His right elbow was further out than ideal.
  3. He really had a pronounced shot from the left side of his center line: extra movement, variance, inaccuracy

He’s worked very hard to change these things over the last three years, blossoming from red shirt freshman to leading the national champion Wildcats with his rebuilt then refined jumper.

In Bridges’ words to Reuben Frank from this piece:

"I always had shot from the left side, and we wanted to make my shooting form simpler and just shoot from the middle instead of having all that extra movement. It was just a matter of repetition. Doing the same thing over and over until it was second nature. Now I don’t even think about it."

And here’s the payoff, from last February:

Really pretty stuff.

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