Jalen Bridges Scouting Report
A wing hiding in plain sight
Name: Jalen Bridges
Birth date: May 14, 2001
Height/Weight: 6’7/213
Wingspan/ standing reach: 6’10/8’9
Hand size: 10
Position: Wing
Pre-Draft team: Baylor
Tools: Rebounding, shooting
Background: All Big 12 in 2024. Transferred from West Virginia in 2022.
Season Stats: 12.2 PPG 5.7 RPG 1.4 APG 1.1 SPG 0.6 BPG 1 TOPG 1.5 FPG on 46.6/41/82
Pros:
Good rebounder
Successful standstill shooter with an effortless release
Good off-ball mover, both for cuts and for movement 3s
High upside for coming off screens as he irons out minor tweaks in his base from going full sprint to stop
Consistently good rebounder
Low mistake player that doesn’t force bad plays
Good motor that helps him win loose balls
Plays the passing lanes well and does a good job of zone defensive playmaking
Cons:
Has a poor handle and dribbles off his foot/knee too often
A bit stiff in general
Doesn’t get to the line much, largely in part because of the 2 point shots he takes
Struggled in isolation defense, and can be shaken off his spot easily by hard jab steps and by shifty ball-handlers
Swing Skills:
How does his mediocre athleticism limit his game?
Summary:
Jalen Bridges is an ideal wing with a prototypical size + shooting combination.
6’7 high-level shooters generally translate with ease, and his ability to impact the game without needing to dribble or have the ball in his hands for more than a brief moment of time. This was on display at the NBA Draft Combine, going 7-15 from the field in two games, thriving as an off-ball player and forcing turnovers. With a quick release from top to bottom, Bridges can shoot over contests, and has high-end standstill shooting ability, making it hard for contests to impact his shot.
While shot creation isn’t in Bridges’ arsenal, him not being a shot creator doesn’t limit his game and impact. His main trait he will need in scoring off the dribble is to simply attack closeouts and from there make the right play. His handle is loose when dribbling into the paint, which was often crowded due to college basketball’s play style and won’t happen in the NBA, which prevents him from being a great slasher off of one or two dribbles. Ultimately, Bridges’ best finishing will come off of cuts, likely backdoor and off of screens. This will allow him to be a truly off-ball threat, maximizing his scoring chances by finding the gaps in the defense.
At the end of the day, shooting is the name of the game with Jalen Bridges’ impact and his sell to NBA teams. He doesn’t need many dribbles to be effective, he doesn’t take the ball out of teammates’ hands, and his shooting makes his teammates better. Bridges went 13/24 (54%) from jumpers coming off of screens, and that number could have been much higher. His base at times could get lost, leading to rushed mechanics and misses off the side of the rim. While normally seen as a negative, this has a chance to become a positive because once those get ironed out and become more consistent from shot to shot. As long as his shot translates at a high level, there is a spot in the rotation for Bridges, since his strong motor always helped him find a way to make plays happen, and he doesn’t sit idly by without the ball. Bridges is a player that has gotten better every year, and is the type of upward trending wing that teams should love to take a chance on.
Projected draft range: 25-40
Expected role: Off-ball mover with excellent shooting ability.
Unplayable if: A bad shooting night happens and his handle doesn’t improve, and stiff movements limit his defensive ability against quicker ball-handlers.
Exceeds expectations if: Defense hits, shot translates at an almost elite level, and he adds more muscle to his frame.
Videos:
Shot chart:
