Three things to watch for during Phoenix Suns Summer League
By Kyle Manthe
Who is the top wing defender?
When the Suns traded up to draft to acquire Mikal Bridges, many Suns fans were excited because of his defensive ability and potential. It is also expected that Bridges will receive a lot of playing time even early on in the season. This would often put him on the court at the same time as Josh Jackson, especially in the Summer League. With two being core pieces to the team added this summer, and with some overlapping abilities at the defensive end, we can get an idea as to who will do what.
When you compare their height, weight, and wingspan, they are both similar to each other although with differences possessing advantages in different categories. This would most likely leave the job of guarding the best player to the best defender of the two, if the opponents are also similar in height. However it does not prevent the two from co-existing on the court together.
The other aspect of this relationship to watch for is who could be spending time at power forward. The expectation early on is that if one was to take that role it would be Josh Jackson. However if Bridges spends more time guarding bigger defenders because of his longer arms, then he could be getting prepared to spend more time at the four.