Bridges blossomed in the desert for the Suns
He carved out a spot in the Suns’ rotation early in his career based on his incredible defense. His crazy slenderman-like wingspan and high motor became points of adoration from fans. It wasn’t as smooth sailing for him on the offensive end though; he had a noticeable hitch in his shot in those early days, a fact he laughed at in his goodbye post to the team.
By his third year, his game had come around on that end of the floor, as he became one of the league’s premier three and D players. Firmly entrenched as a Suns franchise cornerstone, Bridges was integral to reaching the Finals that season. The next year Bridges was named to the all-defensive first team and finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
He was in his best professional season before getting traded this year. His evolution into a legitimate on-ball offensive threat was a big reason why the Suns could stay in the playoff picture despite the rest of the team dealing with injury problems.
Ultimately, Mikal never missed a game for the Suns, a complete rarity in today’s NBA. You could always count on him to give 100% effort literally every single game, and that should be celebrated.
Like Bridges, Cam Johnson also came to the Suns under inauspicious circumstances. He wasn’t on Suns fans’ radar, as they had the 6th pick in the 2019 draft, and Cam wasn’t projected near that spot. But after a draft-day trade back to 11, James Jones selected Cam. The selection was widely questioned due to Johnson’s injury history and perceived ceiling, but he proved the doubters wrong almost instantly.