This summer, the Phoenix Suns emphasized consistency over big changes. To energize the bench, they traded for Landry Shamet and signed JaVale McGee, but their goal is to spend another year together to close the gap between Finals participant and Finals champion. Beyond consistency, the Suns’ quartet of 25-and-under players must continue to improve as they begin the second half of their careers.
Mikal Bridges is one of those four players, having turned a second-half breakout in 2019-20 into a season of sparkling two-way contributions. However, inconsistencies reappeared in the playoffs. He scored seven or fewer points in six of his next 11 games after scoring double digits in nine of his first eleven games. He missed open threes, attacked without a strategy, and gave up advantages in Phoenix’s offense that he was supposed to take advantage of.
The Finals helped to bring this disparity to light. He scored 13 or more points three times, including 27 in a Game 2 triumph, and seven or fewer times. Bridges’ chances of puncturing spaces on the floor decreased as the Suns’ charge faltered, with Chris Paul more unable to bend the defense as he desired.
As the Suns enter their fourth season, there’s a definite emphasis on Bridges expanding his flashes of creativity and ball-handling into something the team can use in their playbook. The team’s collapse was aided by a lack of perimeter firepower outside of Paul and Booker in the starting five. Bridges filling up that hole by introducing some secondary ball-screen and pull-up shooting equity into an arsenal mostly focused on spot-ups, cuts, and attacking closeouts.
In spurts, Bridges is definitely capable of commandeering certain second-side actions. However, maintaining consistency in a variety of situations necessitates tightening his grip and increasing his core strength. When he slices in from the wings, defenders can crowd his handle or knock him off his places, resulting in inferior results. Another simple technique to grow is to do more reps. Running pick-and-rolls effectively in the NBA is difficult and intricate.
Before the screen arrives, set it up. Drive far enough into the defense to encourage rotations and create advantages without putting yourself in jeopardy. Understand the most common passing reads, as well as any defensive countermeasures that may create different openings. On the go, read the defense. If you’re going to use the pull-up as a weapon, weigh the danger of its very existence against the prospect of launching off the bounce. To some extent, experience can help you gain fluency in all of these areas. And it’s clear that the team wants Bridges to shine when he has the ball in his hands.
Internal development spurring team-wide strides is the tagline for Phoenix this year. Everyone will learn from the Finals appearance. In order to build upon it, they must. The playoffs routinely open the eyes of young guys. The Suns are hoping Bridges is next to encounter that concept — and they’ll need it.
