Stocking stuffers for every Phoenix Suns player

Mikal Bridges

Get Out of Jail Free Card

For Mikal Bridges this year, I went symbolic. This Monopoly reference has two meanings. First, he leads the team in steals (technically he’s tied with Kelly Oubre, but considering Kelly plays significantly more minutes than Mikal, I gave the nod to Bridges).

With all those steals that kind of thievery would normally put a man in…jail. Get it, now? Get it?

Anyway, the other metaphorical prison I’ve placed him in that I will let him out for free next time is my mind. I all but wrote Bridges off early in the year when everyone on the team was thriving, yet he was struggling.

His shot looked broken, and the defense he has used as his calling card simply wasn’t there.

I’m not sure what happened, but he has since turned it around. He has brought what as around an 11% 3-point percentage up to 30% and is back up to averaging more points per minutes played than he did last year.

He is often assigned the opponent’s best player and does a good job of containing them. Whatever was missing early in the year is back now, and I stand humbled for expecting anything differently.

So, if he happens to fall back into a slump this season (or any thereafter), I’ll remember this stocking stuffer and let him out of that one for free.