Coming into his fifth-year in the NBA, the individual development of Mikal Bridges is key to the Phoenix Suns growth as a team. After the franchise’s disastrous playoff exit last season, a methodical offense could do with the added juice of Bridges’ shot-creation and playmaking.
That aspect has been mooted all offseason, but no one’s ever sure how it will look until we see it in reality. The positive is that the idea has now been placed into motion, at least throughout the three preseason games Bridges participated in.
Preseason numbers suggest Mikal Bridges is set for extra responsibility on both ends of the floor for the Phoenix Suns this season.
Practically every offensive category saw Bridges have greater opportunities than what we saw last season. His usage rate went from 14% to 17%, a small rise but one that had an impact on his scoring and playmaking.
Bridges’ percentage of Phoenix’s field goal attempts (when he’s on the floor) rose from 16.1% to 21.1%. As a result, his percentage of the team’s points elevated from 16.7% to 22.2%. The 26-year-old also had an increase in the team’s assists, 10.9% to 12.2%.
Bridges’ increased opportunity on offense should be viewed as a positive, but the same can’t be said for even further responsibility on defense. He’s already the Suns best defender anyway, having finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting last season.
But without Jae Crowder beside him on the wing, the Phoenix defense will fall even heavier on his shoulders. Bridges’ percentage of the team’s steals were at 31.3% while he was on the floor in preseason, compared to 18.8% last regular season. His percentage of Phoenix’s blocked shots was also up from 15.1% to 25%.
You could argue these numbers are purely based on preseason basketball. Was coach Monty Williams simply trying new and different approaches on offense, and that usage will fall back on Chris Paul and Devin Booker during the regular season?
The expectation should maintain, that these offensive numbers do translate over. However, if the Suns continue to rely on him defensively like we saw in preseason, then that’s not going to bode well for the team’s defense as a whole.