NBA Finals: Mikal Bridges Thrives As Unsung Suns Playoff Hero And ‘Winning’ Coin For Future Success

Chris Paul finally gets his chance for a title. Devin Booker emerges as a playoff superstar. Deandre Ayton proves his detractors wrong. There are so many stories associated with this meteoric turnaround for the Phoenix Suns, from 10 straight years in the two-game lottery to winning the Larry O’Brien Trophy, it’s nearly impossible to give everyone the credit that he deserves.

So when Mikal Bridges, who has been a relatively unsung hero of this Suns team throughout the playoffs, posted 27 points and seven rebounds in Phoenix’s 118-108 win over the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 2 of the NBA Finals, it serves as a reminder of how good he was, how great he can be, and how integral he is to the Suns’ future.

It’s not just that Bridges scored his highest point total since scoring a career-high 34 six months ago in Game 10 of the regular season – it’s how he got it. got those points. A sniper who took almost as many 3 points as 2 points during the regular season, Bridges showcased his full arsenal in Thursday’s win. Five of his eight field goals came from inside the arc, demonstrating a wide range of pull-ups and finishes when the Bucks limited his appearance to 3 points.

“I think tonight he admitted that once he started shooting and they got him off the line he was coming in,” Suns coach Monty Williams said after the second game. to a place where he can do that seven or eight foot jump shot. He’s been doing this all year, it’s just everyone sees it now. “

Milwaukee adjusted his defensive game plan in Game 2 to provide more help to Booker and Paul, which left Bridges wide open early – he hit two of his three 3-pointers in the game’s opening four minutes. After that, the Bucks made it their mission not to give him open 3-point looks, and that’s when Bridges got down to business.

He knocked down a few fadeaways, which led to Booker later accusing Bridges of stealing that aspect of his offensive attack. Although, as Williams pointed out, Bridges has been deadly on pull-ups all year, although he doesn’t take them often. During the regular season, he was in the 81st percentile with 1.049 points per possession on jumpers under 17 feet, according to Synergy Sports Technology. In the playoffs, he jumped to 10 for 16 in that range, good for the 97th percentile, and his feathery touch was visible in Game 2:

Bridges also capitalized on the attention Booker was receiving by faking that transfer in the second quarter, leading to a midrange pull-up in pace and baseline. That’s impressive – especially in the final – for a player who isn’t usually tasked with taking quick reads and making game decisions.

As much credit as Bridges deserves, the Suns have to thank another player for his contribution to Thursday’s victory. Veteran winger E’Twaun Moore didn’t see the court in the final, but he always reminded Bridges that he’s more than just a shooter.

“Sometimes I’m so focused on wanting to hit those three, if I haven’t hit it in a while and just want to get one. I think it’s always, ‘Let me hit those three. and get started, “” Bridges said after Game 2. “[Moore] was just like, ‘Mix it up, try to hit the rim.’ And I think to myself, fuck this is what I was doing and I just forgot. I was trying to hit a three. Once I start doing that, it just opens up my game, I just play my jump shot and get into the paint. “

One of the most important skills a shooter can possess is the timing and precision of rolling back when overplayed. Bridges has demonstrated this ability all season, in the 84th percentile during the regular season with 1.494 points per possession on cups, according to Synergy, and he set us a great example in the third quarter of Game 2. It’s a thing to do. do well. cut, but it’s another to be able to end up at the edge with a double-pump dunk on a 7-footer:

Speaking of athleticism, watch the deceleration and footwork in this piece, passing Giannis Antetokounmpo, then back and forth to finish around Khris Middleton:

These are exactly the types of games that make the “3 and D” designation seem inadequate for Bridges, 24, who has the tools and work ethic to become much more of an offensive force as his career progresses. is progressing.

“You go to the gym, Mikal is there and he’s doing extra work. He’s there after,” Booker said. “People will always try to label him as a 3-and-D guy, and I’ve told you a number of times that it’s not even close to his game. If the teams want to try and make him the one for them. bat, he I will. “

Bridges’ burgeoning offensive repertoire adds to his stifling defense, which has made him the greatest voter of any player not to be on the 2021 NBA All-Defensive teams – an honor he will surely receive as soon as possible. . He spent the duration of his first inning in the playoffs protecting the opposing best perimeter player, be it LeBron James, Michael Porter Jr., Paul George or, most recently, Middleton, who went 5 for 16 on the field. and 1 for 6 of 3- point range in game 2.

“He takes a lot of pressure off everyone. And the most impressive thing is that he still keeps the other team’s most dynamic scorer,” Booker said of Bridges. “Middleton is not an easy game, and it’s his game every night and he has to do a lot of things on the other side. So, so that he always has his legs, that he always focuses on the games he’s played, it takes a lot of pressure on everyone: me, Chris, Deandre. It makes things a lot easier for everyone. “

Bridges also regularly makes winning games that make you love coaches and teammates. One example is that streak in the fourth quarter of Game 2, when the Bucks had just started a 7-0 run to reduce the Suns’ lead from 13 to six with just over five minutes to go. Paul missed a pull-up jumper, and a defensive rebound would have given Milwaukee a shot at making it a one-possession game. Instead, Bridges ran from the corner to the top of the sideline and, between four Bucks, pushed the ball towards Suns forward Jae Crowder. Possession, after another offensive rebound from Ayton, ultimately led to a 3-point dagger from Paul to put the game out of reach:

Gather the full Bridges package and you’ve got a winning player who puts the work in, defends at an All-NBA level, has 54/43/84 shooting separations and the basis of a devastating offensive arsenal. With the spotlight rightly flooding Booker and Ayton during these playoffs, Bridges could be just as vital to the Suns’ continued success over the next several years. Ayton could order a maximum extension this offseason, and Bridges, the 10th overall pick in 2018, who also becomes eligible for the extension after the season, could reach around $ 20 million a year.

From what he has shown in his career so far, Bridges will be worth every penny.

“[Bridges] is just a winner. He’s a winner, ”said Paul.“ When we won the Western Conference final, I looked at him and had a flashback from him at Villanova. I remember he won a championship there. He’s just a winner. He’s going to do whatever you want him to do, offensively or defensively, and it’s good to see him play like that. “