Miles Bridges channels his inner Draymond Green; it’s an edginess the Hornets need

No Charlotte Hornet plays with better precision than Gordon Hayward, or more fearlessly than Terry Rozier.

But when it comes to controlled fury — a blend of passion, energy and anger — Miles Bridges is the standard on this roster.

“He brings us a spirit and an edge,” Hornets coach James Borrego said after Bridges totaled 18 points and 12 rebounds in the Hornets’ 101-97 overtime loss to the Phoenix Suns on Sunday.

This was not a pretty game. The Hornets committed 21 turnovers and the Suns shot 8-of-40 from 3-point range. That the Hornets got this one to overtime was largely due to Bridges’ refusal to give in.

Basketball coaches talk all the time about 50-50 balls: The rebounds or lost dribbles in a crowd that the most driven players always seem to retrieve. Bridges is best known for violent, eye-popping dunks. But right after that, his trademark should be scabby elbows. This was the definitive scabby-elbow game.

So naturally, Bridges was upset afterward that the Suns finished with 32 points off offensive rebounds.

“We let them get a lot of second-chance points. That messed us up, and our turnovers messed us up,” Bridges said. “I had four turnovers, and that’s unacceptable.

“This was a game where every turnover mattered and every 50-50 ball mattered.”

Teller of difficult truths

Bridges is a big admirer of fellow Michigan State alum Draymond Green. Not just because they share a school, but because they share an attitude: Be tough, be frank, don’t shirk from stating difficult truths.

Bridges did just that in the preseason, telling Charlotte media he was sick of the negative perception the Hornets had created in recent seasons.

“The Hornets, we haven’t been a good organization for a long time,” Bridges said in early December. “Let’s be honest about it — everybody here, we’re tired of that.”

That’s exactly the sort of thing Green would say. Also like Green, Bridges backs up words with actions. He isn’t the best player on this team, but he embraced going to the second unit this season and switching from small forward to power forward. It was best for the Hornets, so he viewed it as best for him.

“I feel like everybody needs that (guy) on their team. Draymond does that for the Warriors. I try to do that for our team — bring energy and emotion to the game.” Bridges said.

Yell at the crowd, and feel back the energy

It’s hard to miss when Bridges scores. Mostly because so many of his baskets are explosive dunks, but also because of how he feeds off interaction with the crowd.

“Gordon, Terry and Tae (Devonte Graham) — they make a shot and they have a straight face,” Bridges said. “When I hit a shot, I want to yell at the crowd and all that.”

You wouldn’t want every player on the roster to have Bridges’ makeup. Being calculating works for Hayward, and the “Scary Terry” version of Rozier is best in clutch time; he wouldn’t have the sustained energy to play that way 30 minutes per game.

But a team like the Hornets, looking to become relevant, needs Bridges’ edge. Sunday, that rawness kept them from surrendering in a game they could have lost in regulation by 15.

He enjoys putting on a show. But he understands the standings count for more than what’s on Instagram.

“It’s exciting. I’m trying to get everybody going,” Bridges said of his dunks and emotion. “But at the end of the day, if we don’t win, those highlights don’t matter.”