Nets' Mikal Bridges looks like a different player since trade

Mikal Bridges, once a superb role player, now looks like a potential star. 

Since the Brooklyn Nets acquired the forward in the Kevin Durant trade with Phoenix, Bridges has played his best basketball of the season. Over 13 games, he's averaging 25.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.1 steals and has a .509/.477/.899 shooting split.

Bridges had only two 30-point games in nearly four seasons with the Suns. With the Nets, he already has six. 

Per The New York Post, the Nets are "pleasantly surprised" with how Bridges has elevated his game since coming to Brooklyn. 

The best part of Bridges' game has never been his offense. He is one of the best on-ball defenders in the NBA with durability second to none. If he were to continue his production with the Nets, Bridges would be be touted as one of the NBA's best two-way players.

On Sunday, the Nets beat the best team in the Western Conference, the Denver Nuggets (46-22), 122-120. Bridges led the way with 25 points on 7-for-16 shooting from the field.

Brooklyn is 6-7 with Bridges, better than some may have expected after shipping away superstars Durant and Kyrie Irving. The Nets have stacked impressive wins, including a 28-point comeback to beat the Boston Celtics. In that game, Bridges dropped 38 points, shot 59% from the field and grabbed 10 boards.

After Brooklyn's 118-96 win over the Houston Rockets last Tuesday, head coach Jacque Vaughn called Bridges "the ultimate competitor."

One of the craziest stats since the Nets acquired Bridges is his minutes played. In Phoenix, he averaged 36.4 minutes compared to 34.3 in Brooklyn. Although his playing time has decreased, Bridges' numbers have skyrocketed.

If this continues, the Nets could do the unthinkable: win the Durant trade.