Mikal Bridges learned from best in Phoenix, now applying those lessons in Brooklyn

Mikal Bridges, before he arrived in Brooklyn from Phoenix, was seen as a solid role player, one who could do a bit of everything ... and then some. Runner-up in the Defensive Player of the Year last season, the Suns small forward expanded his offense this season with Devin Booker out, averaging close to 20 points a game in January on 47/40/89 shooting splits. He also was leading the NBA in minutes played just as he had last season.

The Nets may be a bit surprised at how he’s taken his game to the next level, but they had coveted him for a while, as Adrian Wojnarowski said the morning of the February 9 trade that sent Kevin Durant to Phoenix. When Durant first made a trade request this…