A curveball has been thrown into the Phoenix Suns’ miraculous season with Chris Paul suffering a thumb fracture. The injury will reportedly sideline Paul for at least six weeks. In other words, the Suns are realistically without their floor general for the remainder of the regular season.
Phoenix owns the best record in the NBA, 48-10, and is in stupendous shape when it comes to hosting a first-round playoff series. That said, a mere downturn can flip a team’s fortunes in the Western Conference. The Suns need the rest of their rotation to pick up the slack with Paul out. Candidate one to do as such? Mikal Bridges.
Here’s why the Suns need Mikal Bridges to play like a star in the wake of Chris Paul’s absence.
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Phoenix Suns’ roster is mostly restricted
Head coach Monty Williams’ operation is elite across the board. They’re a well-versed and highly efficient offensive unit that’s sturdy on the defensive end. In thought, Paul’s absence doesn’t derail any of those positives. The issue? Most of their roster has minimal upside.
The Suns’ point guard rotation now features Cameron Payne, Elfrid Payton and the recently acquired Aaron Holiday. Payne is a smooth player but a bit reserved in terms of his tendency to attack the rack. Payton has his moments but is inefficient. Holiday is talented but has never been a high-minute rotation player on a contending team.
Center Deandre Ayton has missed considerable time this season due to an ankle injury. Bismack Biyombo and JaVale McGee have played well in Ayton’s place. That said, their games don’t necessarily have room for improvement. They’re respectable centers who are mere inside threats on the offensive end. Ayton also doesn’t have a reliable mid-range game.
- Chris Paul stats (2021-22): 14.9 points, 10.7 assists and 1.9 steals per game while shooting 48.7/33.0/84.3
Cameron Johnson is an efficient shooter. Of course, Devin Booker is a star. This is a deep rotation of starting-caliber players, but the Suns need someone to pick up the pace in a profound way. It’s a tall task because there’s only one star scorer present, and the bulk of this rotation is limited in some way offensively.
Mikal Bridges is the outlier.
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Mikal Bridges still has upside
Bridges had a yawning rookie campaign, which was followed up by an uptick in reliability the ensuing season. En route to the Suns winning the Western Conference last season, Bridges took the next step in becoming a reliable scoring option. This season has been a continuation of last season.
Bridges has a compelling skill set. He’s a proven outside shooter who can shoot off the dribble and drop 20 points on any given night. All the while, he’s a sturdy defender. At times, he looks like a breakout star. More often than not, though, he has been a complementary scorer.
Bridges’ precise skill set is one that lends itself to making strides. He has always been a reliable shooter who has flashed offensive upside and been a two-way player. A perfect model for Bridges is Khris Middleton of the Milwaukee Bucks.
- Mikal Bridges stats (2021-22): 13.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 53.0/36.5/84.0
Earlier last decade, Middleton worked his way into the Bucks’ rotation, stagnated a bit in production and later became an integral part of the offense. He has become more impactful in each of the last five seasons and was an indispensable part of the Bucks winning the 2021 NBA Finals. Middleton has become one of the best wings and shooting scorers in the NBA.
Four years into Middleton’s career, it was sensible to think he peaked. Instead, he kept becoming an amplified version of himself and eventually a go-to scorer. Bridges has the tools to do the same.
Phoenix Suns need Mikal Bridges to play like a star
Bridges has the upside to be a star. Now more than ever, the Suns need him to tap into that potential.
The Villanova product presumably becomes the Suns’ number two scorer with Paul out. That means Bridges has to play with more aggression, which will force defenses to check him and therefore take some of the scoring burden off Booker. Bridges’ shooting ability and length allows him to get points from all over the floor.
With Payne and Booker co-running the offense, Johnson (when he’s on the floor) and Jae Crowder stretching the floor and Ayton in the paint, someone else has to be able to score in isolation. That doesn’t mean Bridges has to always get in position to attempt a layup, rather be able to create his own shot and draw fouls by putting the ball on the floor.
Unfortunately for the Suns, they can’t rely on Paul to return or be at full strength in the playoffs. While a thumb injury differs from those of the past, it underscores how he has typically dealt with some sort of injury down the stretch. It happened with Paul’s shoulder last postseason and in years past with the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers.
The Suns can still compete for the Western Conference without Chris Paul. They’re that deep. If they’re going to avenge their 2-0 NBA Finals collapse, though, the status quo has to change. Mikal Bridges has to be that change.
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