Bridges needs to play…a lot
A great coach once said, “It isn’t about who starts the game, it’s about who finishes.” No quote has ever been more true of a player than Mikal Bridges.
Bridges had a very on-brand stat line Friday night against the Magic:
4 points on 2-3 field goals, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks, and a +17 +/- rating.
Yeah that’s right: a +17 +/- rating.
Monty Williams can’t afford to keep this man off the floor, and to be fair, he doesn’t. Bridges played 30 minutes in the win and finds ways to impact the game outside of shooting (even though he has done that much better as of late too).
"Mikal is so important to our team He only took three shots, but he had a huge affect on the game." Monty Williams.
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) January 11, 2020
Mikal Bridges helps close out #Suns win Friday night over #MagicAboveAll with big steal in the fourth quarter. pic.twitter.com/KpgfcpRS3j
Monty said last night how much of an impact Bridges has on the game, which is why we so often see him in the lineup late in the fourth quarter.
In fact, give me that Rubio-Booker-Oubre-Bridges-Ayton combination all day every day and I’ll never question a rotation decision again in my life.
He plays so much taller than his 6’6″ body would suggest and doesn’t need to score when he’s in the lineup with the other team’s leading bucket-getters.
Speaking of bucket-getters: