Mike Brown didn’t have to single out Mikal Bridges with his words. He did it, instead, with another fourth-quarter benching.
For the final seven minutes of a nail-biting victory over the Warriors on Sunday night, Bridges sat in his increasingly familiar position near the end of the bench. Brown had subbed in the other starters earlier in the fourth quarter, the last with about 3 ½-minutes remaining. But the coach stuck with Landry Shamet over Bridges when it mattered most — yet again.
The optics were bad, of course. Bridges and his $150 million contract, acquired via trade for five first-round picks, is being replaced semiregularly by Shamet, who plays on a minimum deal. Even Jordan Clarkson, also on a minimum contract, got minutes over Bridges in two of the past three fourth quarters.
It continued a trend of underwhelming play and diminished minutes for Bridges, prompting a reporter to ask a question that’s bubbling underneath the surface: Should Bridges, the iron man of the NBA, take a night off? Should Bridges break the streak to rest his body and mind? Is a shake-up overdue?
