The Suns took a preseason loss to the Bulls on Tuesday, but the bigger story for Phoenix was Miles Bridges leaving early with a right ankle injury. For a team still sorting through the early stages of its tune-up, that was the kind of moment that can rattle a fan base fast.
Jordan Ott moved quickly to ease that concern, and he did not sound like a coach preparing for the worst. Looking ahead to Saturday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs, he left the door open for Bridges to play. “If he can go out the next night (against the Spurs), I’m sure he will be there.”
The most reassuring update, though, came from Collin Gillespie. After being in the locker room with Bridges postgame, Gillespie said, “He said he was fine when he came in here, so I trust whatever he is saying.” For a preseason injury scare, that’s about as calming as it gets.
Bridges has already flashed why Phoenix wanted him in the first place. His early work against the Detroit Pistons showed the blend of size and scoring touch that looks like a clear step up from what the Suns had last season. He may still be a work in progress on the defensive end, even after promising to be a “defensive menace” at media day, but there was at least a stronger sense of activity and commitment there.
The Suns will still handle this carefully, as they should. No preseason game is worth pushing a key player through an ankle issue, and the bigger benefit may be what this opens up for the rest of the roster. Ryan Dunn and rookie Koa Peat should see more run against the Spurs, giving Ott another chance to test combinations and evaluate who can earn a bigger role.
Ott said at media day that he’s looking at a nine or 10-man rotation during the regular season, and the preseason is clearly being used to sort through those decisions. With Bridges’ status sounding far better than it first appeared, Phoenix can shift from panic mode to experimentation mode pretty quickly.
In Other News...
Suns Show Promise But The Same Problem Keeps Undermining It
The Suns had another preseason chance to show that the early flashes from a reshaped roster can translate into something sturdier, and for stretches against the Bulls, they did just that. Phoenix came out well enough to build an early lead, with Dillon Brooks and Jordan Goodwin among the players who provided encouraging signs, even as Rasheer Fleming and Khaman Maluach had quieter nights.
But the same issue that has a way of undoing good stretches showed up again, and it cost the Suns in a 124-117 loss to Chicago. Turnovers helped undercut the momentum, and the late-game unraveling turned what had been a promising night into a second straight preseason defeat, leaving Phoenix still searching for a way to make those better moments last. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Already Have What The Rockets Are Desperately Chasing
Marcus Smarts arrival in Houston is the latest sign the Rockets are still trying to fill the kind of edge Dillon Brooks brought them last season, with the veteran guard added in hopes of adding defense, toughness and a steadier presence on the perimeter. The fit question is obvious enough from a Suns perspective, because Brooks has long been the sort of high-energy irritant who can change a game without needing the ball, and he has already shown he can matter in both Phoenix and Houston.
Smart comes with a different profile, one that invites a comparison to what the Suns value when they piece together their rotation. The broader argument is less about who is better on paper and more about who matches a teams needs, and in that sense the Suns may already have the type of playmaking, physicality and lineup versatility Houston is still trying to chase. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Just Got Exposed In A Way Fans Know Too Well
The Bulls left Phoenix with a 124-117 win that offered an uncomfortable reminder of a problem Suns fans have seen before: when the margin gets tight, the burden can fall too heavily on a few familiar names. Chicago spread the scoring around and got real production from its bench, which helped keep the pressure on all night, while Phoenix had stretches where individual efforts stood out but the group response never matched the opponents balance.
Josh Giddey kept the offense moving even without taking over as a scorer, and Matas Buzelis added activity on the defensive end along with points that mattered in the flow of the game. The Suns had their own highlights, but the larger issue was consistency, and this one again showed how costly it can be when a teams support around its top options doesnt hold up over four quarters. [Read more 🡒]