Phoenix Suns: Mikal Bridges needs a handle to be a star

Phoenix Suns rookie Mikal Bridges projects as a typical three and D wing. To become the star some hope he’ll be, he needs to become an elite ball handler.

Mikal Bridges has earned comparisons ranging from Trevor Ariza to Kawhi Leonard. Needless to say, some people are higher on Bridges than others. To go from an Ariza to a Leonard, Mikal Bridges needs to become a significantly better ball handler.

So much is already there for Bridges. A big reason he was drafted in the top ten is that he possesses the NBA skills to make him a quality three and D wing, a la Suns’ new swingman Trevor Ariza. Comparisons to Khris Middleton, Robert Covington, and Otto Porter all make sense, too.

All of these guys are knock-down high volume three point shooters. All are above average to elite defenders. And all are solid athletes as well. But they share more than common strengths; they have the same weaknesses as well, including one glaring weakness in particular: ball handling.

Ball handling is a broad term that can be taken to mean a lot of different things. But for Bridges to be a star, he must become a great ball handler in every sense.

He needs to be comfortable bringing the ball up the floor, especially running the break off a miss or a turnover. He needs to be able to have the ball in his hands under pressure down the stretch. And most importantly, he needs to be able to create his own shots off the dribble throughout the game.

None of these things were Bridges’ strengths in college, and he didn’t flash any improvement in the Summer League either. Unless Bridges can make huge strides as a ball handler, he’ll never be more than a quality role player who needs other players to get him his shot. He’ll never be more than an Ariza.

It’s why the comparisons to Leonard don’t make a lot of sense. Rebuilding a jumper is relatively quick with a fairly high chance of some success. Teaching a player years and years worth of ball handling skills is very difficult. Assuming Bridges can just flip a switch and become a ball-dominant primary scorer is just asking to be disappointed.

Guys like Mikal Bridges are common but valuable. Any team can use a good three and D wing, and Bridges is exactly that. He’s not and likely never will be a star resembling Kawhi Leonard. But if he does make that leap for the Phoenix Suns, it’ll be because his ball handling went from below average to elite.