Taj Gibson gives high praise of Miles Bridges, calls the Hornets forward an All-Star

It's extremely high praise from a player like Gibson, who has played with 22 different All-Stars, whether being former, current, or future, dating back to his college days.

He played with two during his days at USC, Nikola Vucevic and DeMar Derozan. In his days with the Bulls, it was Derrick Rose, Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer, Kyle Korver, Rip Hamilton, Dwyane Wade, Rajon Rondo and Jimmy Butler.

When he played with the Thunder, he shared the court with Russell Westbrook, Victor Oladipo, and Domantas Sabonis.

In Minnesota, it was Jeff Teague, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Andrew Wiggins.

New York? Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson. In Washington, Brad Beal and Kristaps Porzingis.

In Detroit, he played with Cade Cunningham, and finally, in Charlotte, he has played with LaMelo Ball.

It's a LOT of players.

So, for such high praise, how was Bridges production this season, and what will be needed for an All-Star push?

Bridges statistically saw a decrease in numbers, but it was due to a greater increase in role due to the injuries to the Hornets roster. Bridges played the most games out of the Hornets core four of LaMelo Ball, Bridges, Brandon Miller, and Mark Williams, playing in 64 games.

Before a slump to end the year, Bridges averaged 24.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 4.6 assists while shooting 47.0% from the field and 35.1% from three during a twelve-game stretch during March. Bridges also had a career-high 46 points against the No. 1 seeded Cavs, where the team fell by only a point to the East's top seed.

If Bridges were to put on a stretch like that for the first half of the season, he could very well make a push for the All-Star game. It statistically (points, rebounds, and assists) would be better than the likes of Jaylen Brown, Pascal Siakam, Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland Jalen Williams, and Tyler Herro.

That being said, there is a reason that LaMelo Ball was not selected into the All-Star game, despite having better stats than even some of the other top guys selected. The Hornets record is not enticing to most, and lots think it has to do with Ball's play. That being said, it's clearly not, given the fact that the Hornets were 16-31 with Ball this season, and 3-32 without him.

Bridges also is not exactly a player opposing fans have an appreciation towards, and getting the fan vote that counts for 50% of the total vote is going to be extremely difficult. To put it simple, unless Bridges has the type of season that people cannot deny as one of the best 30 players in the sport, his chances of getting in are slim, no matter how productive he is for the squad.

To get in to the game, the Hornets would likely need to be just below the play-in while Bridges averages 25+ points, 7+ rebounds, 4+ assists while shooting around 45/35/80 splits. It's not unrealistic from Bridges, but it would be a big step up from a player who's hovered around 20 points his past three seasons.

Does he have the talent? Absolutely. Could he get in? Unlikely.

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