Mikal Bridges going forward

[Hoop Head]

Didn't Golden State have a really strong team with a couple of stars on the bench in their first "dynasty" years? Like Barbosa, Livingston and Iggy? That was in addition to having a big three of Curry, Klay and I guess that PF guy, Green something?

Why not us?

Yeah and Klay was the only max guy at that point. Green was a 2nd round pick on a team friendly deal and Curry was on a really reasonable contract because of his injury history up to that point. He exploded once that extension paid him and then the TV contract spiked the cap. They had a perfect storm of things coinciding with their peak. It couldn't be duplicated again by the best GM's in the league.

 

[leclerc]

Yeah right, I remember now. Curry was banged up and didn't do well his first years. It was talks of trading Amaré with bad knees and eyesight for him, but it didn't fall through. Something like that?

 

[Hoop Head]

Yeah right, I remember now. Curry was banged up and didn't do well his first years. It was talks of trading Amaré with bad knees and eyesight for him, but it didn't fall through. Something like that?

Kind of. We were going to trade Amare for the pick used to take Steph. Golden State apparently knew we planned on using that pick for Steph and even after the pick was made a lot of Suns front office staff thought it was a done deal but Golden State decided to keep him for themselves. So we got left with Amare for one last year before he hit free agency.

 

[Covert Rain]

Mikel is one of those players that would probably blossom outside this team. I hate to say it but the offense and this team have turned him into a spot up shooter. They called it many times during the playoffs that when he had those really good games it wasn't because they were going to him outside of 3 point spot up shooting. It's because he was moving without the ball and cleaning up.

It's going to be hard for Mikel to improve his game outside of his role defending, spotting up shooting and moving without the ball. There isn't enough balls to go around between Paul, Booker, the other 3 point shooters and now people wanting Ayton to be involved. There just isn't. To me the best thing he can do is strive to be a more consistent contributor offensively because the stats played out all season long that when he is scoring the Suns are winning.

 

[Hoop Head]

Mikel is one of those players that would probably blossom outside this team. I hate to say it but the offense and this team have turned him into a spot up shooter. They called it many times during the playoffs that when he had those really good games it wasn't because they were going to him outside of 3 point spot up shooting. It's because he was moving without the ball and cleaning up.

It's going to be hard for Mikel to improve his game outside of his role defending, spotting up shooting and moving without the ball. There isn't enough balls to go around between Paul, Booker, the other 3 point shooters and now people wanting Ayton to be involved. There just isn't. To me the best thing he can do is strive to be a more consistent contributor offensively because the stats played out all season long that when he is scoring the Suns are winning.

I think as Paul's FG attempts go down, Mikal's should go up. Paul is a very willing passer and will find guys when they're open. Mikal needs to be more consistent moving to be found in good position. Paul only seems to seek out his own shot in the 4th or when the offense stalls. He's ball dominant but not in a bad way.

Mikal is just not that when he needs to out the ball on the floor, which hurts his offensive efficiency as well as the team. If he learned to be more effective at throwing up a pump take when guys close out on him and then drive to the basket or for a mid range jumper then he'd add at least 3-4 more FG attempts to his game.

 

[Covert Rain]

I think as Paul's FG attempts go down, Mikal's should go up. Paul is a very willing passer and will find guys when they're open. Mikal needs to be more consistent moving to be found in good position. Paul only seems to seek out his own shot in the 4th or when the offense stalls. He's ball dominant but not in a bad way.

Mikal is just not that when he needs to out the ball on the floor, which hurts his offensive efficiency as well as the team. If he learned to be more effective at throwing up a pump take when guys close out on him and then drive to the basket or for a mid range jumper then he'd add at least 3-4 more FG attempts to his game.

Many people are saying he needs to work on his handle. That's going to be very hard to do in this offense. Yes, Paul is a passer but those passes are typically for spot up shooters. You are not picking and rolling with Mikel and there are not enough balls to get the ball to him to improve that part of his game. Mikel is what he is and asking him to be more consistent as I stated above is likely the only reasonable expectation for his role in this offense.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

As the Athletic pointed out in putting him at the #38 player in the NBA is he puts up excellent stats across the board but has an incredibly low usage rate. That's super rare in the modern NBA

 

[Chaplin]

As the Athletic pointed out in putting him at the #38 player in the NBA is he puts up excellent stats across the board but has an incredibly low usage rate. That's super rare in the modern NBA

With 30 teams, that ranking makes him regarded as a high-level 2nd tier player. That's crazy. (My math is simplistic, of course, but if you assume all 30 teams have 1 "star", then 31-60 would be the 2nd tiers)

 

[Chris_Sanders]

With 30 teams, that ranking makes him regarded as a high-level 2nd tier player. That's crazy. (My math is simplistic, of course, but if you assume all 30 teams have 1 "star", then 31-60 would be the 2nd tiers)

That's the ranking in the article. He is literally in his own catagory of players called the "Octopus" because he does so much at once. Contract value is $26.6 million

The octopus​

PLAYER	TEAM	TIER	LAST YEAR	BORD$	EPM WINS	RAPM RANK
You must be registered for see images attach Mikal Bridges	PHX	4B	5A	$26.6	8.2	82

After taking his rookie year to settle into the NBA game, here are some numbers for Mikal Bridges the last two seasons: 40.1 percent from 3, including 41.3 percent on uncontested attempts; 63.0 percent on twos; 84.3 percent from the line; steal and block percentages of 2.0 and 2.2 respectively. Keep in mind, steal and block rates of 2.0 and above from perimeter players serves as an informal heuristic for picking out the handsiest off-ball defenders. He is also a sticky on-ball defender who has the length and lateral quickness to bother all but the best and strongest scorers. However, a 13.9 usage rate and just over 3 assists per 100 possessions illustrate where he would need to improve to break out of his current path, which leads towards captaincy of the Danny Green Role Player All-Stars.

 

[Phrazbit]

I hope his unselfishness on the court is also apparent off the court.

If we can sign him to anything near 4 years 80 million we should count our blessings. It amazes me that there are some Suns fans who view him as a 10-13 million dollar player, that is borderline starter money and this guy is one of the most impactful wing players in the league.

 

[Bufalay]

I'm amazed at how underrated he is on this board. It reminds me of Shawn Marion. The things that he can't do are obvious to everyone, but I think the things that he's really good at are just as important, and less obvious.

It reminds me of the old NY Times article about Shane Battier. https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/01/magazine/01Letters-t-THENOSTATSAL_LETTERS.html
He doesn't have impressive traditional stats, but he appears to have a large impact on winning. In the ten years since the publication of that article there have been advances in stats that do a better job capturing contributions from players like Bridges and Battier which I think accounts for Bridges' high ranking on that list.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I'm amazed at how underrated he is on this board. It reminds me of Shawn Marion. The things that he can't do are obvious to everyone, but I think the things that he's really good at are just as important, and less obvious.

It reminds me of the old NY Times article about Shane Battier. https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/01/magazine/01Letters-t-THENOSTATSAL_LETTERS.html
He doesn't have impressive traditional stats, but he appears to have a large impact on winning. In the ten years since the publication of that article there have been advances in stats that do a better job capturing contributions from players like Bridges and Battier which I think accounts for Bridges' high ranking on that list.

Yeah I think it starts from the overreactions in the moment during the game day threads and builds from there. All I know is that if you pay attention to how the team is playing rather than focusing on any single player, you can't miss how important Bridges is.

 

[Covert Rain]

Yeah I think it starts from the overreactions in the moment during the game day threads and builds from there. All I know is that if you pay attention to how the team is playing rather than focusing on any single player, you can't miss how important Bridges is.

The % of wins when he plays well is undeniable. Having said that if we had a more, well rounded, bench that contributes we wouldn't have to relay on him putting up double figures to win.

 

[Proximo]

I really hope we do resign him this offseason. I don't see how his contract value can possibly go down unless he has a major injury or something. He has improved every year and I think that trend will continue.

 

[TJ]

That's the ranking in the article. He is literally in his own catagory of players called the "Octopus" because he does so much at once. Contract value is $26.6 million

The octopus​

PLAYER	TEAM	TIER	LAST YEAR	BORD$	EPM WINS	RAPM RANK
You must be registered for see images attach Mikal Bridges	PHX	4B	5A	$26.6	8.2	82

After taking his rookie year to settle into the NBA game, here are some numbers for Mikal Bridges the last two seasons: 40.1 percent from 3, including 41.3 percent on uncontested attempts; 63.0 percent on twos; 84.3 percent from the line; steal and block percentages of 2.0 and 2.2 respectively. Keep in mind, steal and block rates of 2.0 and above from perimeter players serves as an informal heuristic for picking out the handsiest off-ball defenders. He is also a sticky on-ball defender who has the length and lateral quickness to bother all but the best and strongest scorers. However, a 13.9 usage rate and just over 3 assists per 100 possessions illustrate where he would need to improve to break out of his current path, which leads towards captaincy of the Danny Green Role Player All-Stars.

Good luck on the Hornets in 2022, Mikal.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Good luck on the Hornets in 2022, Mikal.

We have 2 unsung heroes on this team. Part of the board is trying to get rid of Ayton while another part of the board wants to get rid of the other guy that greatly outperforms his simple stats. I sure hope JJ isn't listening to either group.

 

[TJ]

We have 2 unsung heroes on this team. Part of the board is trying to get rid of Ayton while another part of the board wants to get rid of the other guy that greatly outperforms his simple stats. I sure hope JJ isn't listening to either group.

I don't think anyone wants to actively get rid of Mikal, including myself. He's a solid contributor to a championship team, but he's not a top-3 player and I don't want him to be. I need Mikal to shore up his defense and be a Mattise Thybulle-type player. I need him to keep the other player's best guard or wing in check. If he wants to get paid $26 mil, he needs to do so on a bottom-feeder like Charlotte, Sacramento, etc. If he wants to compete for a championship, he needs to take about 30-40% less to accommodate stacking the roster with other solid role players.

BTW - Im not legitimizing the anti-Ayton arguments anymore as it's as senseless as legitimizing McDonald's as a Michelin star restaurant.

 

[Hoop Head]

We have 2 unsung heroes on this team. Part of the board is trying to get rid of Ayton while another part of the board wants to get rid of the other guy that greatly outperforms his simple stats. I sure hope JJ isn't listening to either group.

I don't want to get rid of Mikal but I think JJ needs to hold firm at around $20 million a year. Sure, if it takes $85 over 4 years then get it done but that's where I say the line is drawn. You can't pay max money, or very close to max, for a 4th option.

If he were a better rebounder then I could see the Marion comparisons a bit more. Its not like Mikal has a bunch of strong rebound ers around him that keeps those numbers down either. He's just not strong enough to box out and grab a good amount of boards.

 

[JCSunsfan]

The moment they let Bridges go is when they start their trek back to the top of the lottery. That is the difference he makes. He might be as hard to replace as anyone on the team.

 

[Dr. Jones]

The moment they let Bridges go is when they start their trek back to the top of the lottery. That is the difference he makes. He might be as hard to replace as anyone on the team.

Joe Johnson to the Hawks. I see similar ramifications.

Can't lose this kid.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Joe Johnson to the Hawks. I see similar ramifications.

Can't lose this kid.

Yeah. Joe was more of a threat on offense but the big difference is that Mikal likes it here in Phoenix. And Mikal was a better all around player this past season than Joe was at the time he turned down that extension.

 

[ASUCHRIS]

Mikail is already an elite defender, always plays, and is growing into his offensive game. Teammates love him as well.

As with Ayton, he's only going to get more expensive, so the sooner we sign them the cheaper they'll be.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

We have 2 unsung heroes on this team. Part of the board is trying to get rid of Ayton while another part of the board wants to get rid of the other guy that greatly outperforms his simple stats. I sure hope JJ isn't listening to either group.

Are there really “groups” trying to get rid of Ayton and Bridges? I think I’ve seen one person state they want Ayton for KAT. And while Bridges has taken criticism for his finals and playoff production and people have discussed his extension I haven’t seen anyone state they want him gone.

 

[Hoop Head]

Are there really “groups” trying to get rid of Ayton and Bridges? I think I’ve seen one person state they want Ayton for KAT. And while Bridges has taken criticism for his finals and playoff production and people have discussed his extension I haven’t seen anyone state they want him gone.

And to be fair, I think the Ayton trade talk has quieted down a lot after the playoffs. I don't think anyone wants him gone at this point. Being willing to swap him out for a perceived upgrade is quite different than wanting him out.

 

[Zobaczcie suki]

Bump.

Here's hoping Bridges is in a Suns uniform for a long time. I'll take this solid dude who is on the rise over the "sweepstakes" any day of the week.