Miles Bridges showed up at Suns media day with an idea that turned plenty of heads: he wants to form a defensive nightmare pairing with Dillon Brooks. If that vision actually takes hold, Phoenix might be able to push Bridges into a role that could change the shape of the roster entirely - including some time at small-ball center.
That is where the real intrigue starts. Bridges lining up at the five would give the Suns a batch of lineup combinations that could be tough to sort out and even tougher to defend.
The obvious question is whether he could handle the league’s biggest interior threats, the kind of assignment that makes Nikola Jokic sound almost impossible. But if Bridges is serious about making a leap defensively, even a shorter stint against someone like Bam Adebayo for eight minutes would be a major test.
If head coach Jordan Ott can get Bridges to a point where he can survive against certain centers, Phoenix could start rolling out groups that look nothing like the usual NBA setup. Devin Booker, Jalen Green, Koa Peat, and Dillon Brooks alongside Bridges?
That’s a lineup with real teeth. It could help cover for Green’s defensive issues, while Peat and Brooks would give the Suns a stronger edge around the rim and on the glass.
There’s also another wrinkle. Add Luke Kennard and the greenest light in the entire league for Peat, and the floor opens up fast for Booker and Green.
The spacing changes. The lanes widen.
The whole thing gets more dangerous.
If that group doesn’t do it for you, Jordan Goodwin might be the answer. He fits next to just about anyone, and he can take on bigger forwards so Green doesn’t have to shoulder that burden. That flexibility matters.
What makes this idea even more interesting is who is not in these lineups: Khaman Maluach and Oso Ighodaro. That’s the point.
Using Bridges this way would let Ott lean harder into the smaller, quicker guards and wings on the roster. Even Ryan Dunn, who has been easy to overlook, could fit into the mix.
And even if Bridges never ends up spending real time at center, the defensive commitment alone would still matter. Phoenix already knows he can score more than 20 a night and create his own shot in the mid-range. The Suns have enough other starters who can do that, too.
The bigger issue has been what happens when the best defenders sit or can’t stay on the floor. Opponents can sag off some of those lineups, and that creates problems.
Goodwin can slip into that group at times, while Jamaree Bouyea and even Collin Gillespie have as well. If Bridges truly embraces the defensive side, that gives Phoenix another way to stabilize those stretches.
In Other News...
Rasheer Fleming Is Giving The Suns A Reason To Believe
Rasheer Fleming is starting to look like one of those prospects who earns his keep the old-fashioned way, by showing up, putting in the work and letting his body and tools do the talking. For the Suns, that matters. Head coach Jordan Ott and teammates have taken notice of the second-year forwards physical gifts and the steady growth that has followed, and there is a growing sense that Phoenix may have something worth developing for the 2026-27 season.
Flemings path only adds to the appeal. He was not a heavily recruited high school player, which makes his rise feel less like a sure thing and more like a player who has had to build his way into the conversation. His ceiling is still hard to pin down, but the Suns have reason to believe he can grow into a useful rotational piece if the development keeps trending in the right direction. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Are Asking Khaman Maluach For More Than They Wanted
With limited future assets and a mandate to stay competitive around Devin Booker, the Suns are treating Khaman Maluach less like a slow-burn project and more like a player they may need sooner than planned. The second-year center logged only limited minutes as a rookie, but his Summer League showing offered enough promise to keep him in the middle of the conversation as Phoenix maps out its frontcourt plans.
Booker has already been supportive of Maluachs development, and the Suns appear willing to bet on the young big man in a larger role if he can handle it. The question now is whether Maluach can absorb everything that comes with starting on a team trying to win right away, because Phoenix does not have much margin for error if he is not ready. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Should Avoid One Backcourt Mistake Around Devin Booker
Training camp has already nudged the Suns point guard picture into focus, and the front office has at least added another name to the mix with Kennedy Chandler on a training camp deal. Around Devin Booker, Phoenix is trying to sort through a backcourt that still needs to make sense on the fly, with the roster carrying more questions about fit than certainty as the season approaches.
Rob Dillingham has been floated as a possible answer in some circles, but the more practical path for Phoenix appears to be staying with the guards already in the building and avoiding a move that does not clearly raise the level of the group. Jordan Goodwin fits that conversation better, while Collin Gillespie remains part of the backup mix, and the Suns can only benefit if the next decision is about clarity rather than chasing another name that complicates the rotation. [Read more 🡒]