The Phoenix Suns’ biggest offseason swing was the deal that brought in Miles Bridges, but four games into the season, the more obvious loss is starting to show up in the players they sent out to get him. Bridges has given the Suns plenty of offense, yet the bigger issue is how much leash he’s been handed on that end while his defense has been a problem at power forward.
Friday’s 127-120 loss to the Denver Nuggets in the Emirates NBA Cup was Bridges’ best scoring night so far with Phoenix. He finished with 24 points, but the same old defensive issues were there again. Through the early part of the season, he has looked vulnerable on that side of the floor, and the Suns can’t keep ignoring it.
The shot distribution tells the story. Devin Booker is still leading the team with 16 field-goal attempts per game, but Bridges is right behind him at 14.5. That has translated into 16.3 points per game, but the efficiency has not been there, especially from deep, where Bridges has hit just 22.2 percent.
That’s where Dillon Brooks enters the conversation. Last season, Brooks was a much better fit as Booker’s offensive partner, and he was Phoenix’s best player in the series against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
His shot attempts have fallen from 17.1 per game last season, when he was second only to Booker, to 12.3 this year, but he is still averaging 16.5 points. More importantly, he has knocked down 42.9 percent of his 3-pointers, giving the Suns the spacing they need for players like Jalen Green to work.
Brooks also brings more on the other end, and when he isn’t getting himself tossed out, he gives the Suns a real emotional edge. He needs more of those shots, and Bridges needs fewer of them.
That said, this is not an argument for pushing Bridges into a smaller role forever. If he starts defending the way he said he would at media day, then there’s a case for him to remain the second scoring option behind Booker. He can do things with the ball at forward that no one else on this roster can match.
But that comes with a condition. Bridges has to pull his weight defensively and help lift Phoenix out of the basement in defensive efficiency. Until that happens - and it remains unclear whether he can get there - head coach Jordan Ott has to rethink who gets the basketball and when.
In Other News...
Suns Finally Get A Chance To Look Whole Against Warriors
For the first time in a while, the Suns are heading into a game with something close to a full deck. Mark Williams is the only player listed out ahead of the matchup with the Warriors, and Oso Ighodaro is back after missing time with an oblique strain and even got into the recent loss to the Nuggets. It is the kind of roster update Phoenix has been waiting for, especially after spending stretches piecing together lineups and trying to keep the rotation steady.
Collin Gillespie has already pointed to Ighodaros return as a lift for the way the team plays, which makes this a useful chance for Phoenix to see what the group can look like when it is closer to whole. The timing matters too, because the Warriors are the sort of opponent that can expose any lingering chemistry issues. For the Suns, this is less about one night and more about finally getting a clearer read on what the team can be when the availability report is mostly clean. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Get A Huge Boost For A Tough Suns Test
The Suns are about to see a much different Golden State team than the one they faced in the first meeting. Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Brandon Podziemski are all available this time, giving the Warriors a major lift as they come in riding a four-game winning streak and trying to keep their offense rolling against a Phoenix group that has generally had a cleaner injury report.
For Phoenix, the challenge is less about availability and more about matching up with a healthier, sharper opponent. Golden State still has several players out or questionable, but the return of its top names changes the tenor of the matchup, especially for a Suns defense that will be tested by one of the leagues more dangerous attacks. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Already Face A Defensive Problem That Could Change Everything
The early returns have been rough for the Suns, and not just because of the 1-3 start. Through four games, Phoenix has given up 122 points or more every time out, a stretch that has put the defense under an immediate spotlight and left Dillon Brooks calling it the leagues worst. The problems have not been hard to spot, either, with rotations breaking down, switching coverages looking shaky and too many lapses away from the ball.
Phoenix has already spent practice time trying to clean it up, but the issues have carried into games anyway. For a team trying to settle into a rhythm, the defensive slippage is more than a short-term concern, since it is starting to affect the way the Suns play on both ends and forcing questions about which lineups can actually hold up. [Read more 🡒]