The Phoenix Suns continued their preseason tune-up Tuesday with a second loss, this time to the Chicago Bulls. Miles Bridges exiting early with a right ankle injury was a huge cause for concern that rightly had fans worried, but Head Coach Jordan Ott was quick to calm The Valley with a positive update on the Suns’ new starting forward.
Coach Ott believes Bridges has chance to appear vs. Spurs
The Suns play the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday, and Coach Ott is not ruling out Bridges appearing in that game. “If he can go out the next night (against the Spurs), I’m sure he will be there.” As great as that sounds, it was actually teammate Collin Gillespie who provided the most encouraging update of all when he spoke to the media, having shared the locker room post-game with Bridges.
“He said he was fine when he came in here, so I trust whatever he is saying.” The Suns would never risk playing one of their key players in a meaningless preseason friendly, so for Coach Ott to believe Bridges suiting up next game is in play is as good an update as you can hope for. Gillespie backing that up should make fans feel even better about that prospect.
The impact of Bridges through two games cannot be overstated in Phoenix. It was more evident in the early going against the Detroit Pistons, as he quickly proved he has the combination of size and scoring touch to be a clear upgrade over what the franchise had last season. He might be some way off the “defensive menace” tag he promised at media day, but he definitely looked more committed on that end of the court.
Coach Ott can use minute setback to try different combinations
There is never a good time for a player to get injured, and 12 months ago, Jalen Green’s setbacks were only beginning thanks to a tweaked hamstring. The Suns should proceed with caution, which in turn will give them an opportunity to use guys further down the rotation to see if they can stake a claim to a bigger role.
No one can replicate what Bridges can do, but Ryan Dunn and rookie Koa Peat should get more action against the Spurs. Coach Ott discussed a nine or 10-man rotation during the regular season at media day and is clearly using the preseason to give everyone a chance to earn a spot.
Bridges is guaranteed to be there, but Dunn and Peat are not. If ever there was a time for one of them to step up, it is now. Of greater concern is how important Bridges already looks to the success of this group.
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