Mikal Bridges going forward

[Hoop Head]

Paul, Booker, and Ayton all have threads of their own for the most part so we can dedicate this space to discussing Mikal's pending extension and what he needs to do going forward.

 

[Hoop Head]

Saw this and thought its worth sharing. I hope Mikal takes Iggy up on this offer to workout with him this offseason. I'm not sure if he can bulk up similarly to Iggy's size but that would help him, and the Suns, a lot, but even if he can't do that, if he can learn to initiate some offense for himself and others then it'd be a huge step for the team and him.

Just to be clear, it's Mikal talking to Andre Iguodala on Twitter.

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[GatorAZ]

He needs to grow at the same rate he’s done so far. If his 2nd to 3rd year leap is similar to his 3rd/4th year then he’ll be worth $100 mil.

On the biggest stage he shot 53/43/91. Hopefully his confidence builds off that.

 

[Muggz]

1) We do whatever Mikals agent says we should do. Keeping in mind that he WANTS to be here.
2) Keep him healthy and happy.
3) Sign a real Power Forward. It will open up the floor for everyone else allowing them to blossom into the beasts they are.

 

[Finito]

Came up small in the finals even his defense was nowhere to be found.

he’s not going to gain weight at this point he would of done it already he’s not strong enough to handle a guy like Middleton

he’s a 15 a year type I don’t think we’re going to be able to give him the contract he wants.

 

[TJ]

Pros: Likable player. Tries hard. Well-rounded.

Cons: Not likely to become a Big 3 type of player. Struggling to be the excellent defender that he was advertised to be. When he's off, he's useless on the floor.

Bridges is likely going to be overvalued on the free market. I would offer him 4/60 and hope he's willing to take a home discount. Honestly, he's replaceable, especially if we get a guy who can consistently defend the perimeter

 

[ASUCHRIS]

Weight room.

 

[Hoop Head]

I'm still holding out a little hope we sign Iggy as our final forward to help mentor Mikal throughout next season. If we do, I'd lock Mikal up now and bet on it saving us money vs if we waited.

 

[Proximo]

Pros: Likable player. Tries hard. Well-rounded.

Cons: Not likely to become a Big 3 type of player. Struggling to be the excellent defender that he was advertised to be. When he's off, he's useless on the floor.

Bridges is likely going to be overvalued on the free market. I would offer him 4/60 and hope he's willing to take a home discount. Honestly, he's replaceable, especially if we get a guy who can consistently defend the perimeter

He's very very rarely "off"

What you are calling off is him not getting shot oportunities setup by his teamates.

He can and will get better at creating his own shot, and he has great touch.

I don't think you can overvalue Bridges - he is perfect team glue and is actually not very replaceable, because I can't really think of another player quite like him in the league.

Will he ever be selfish enough to be an all-star - probably not - but that is a good thing. You want to have a player that is completely capable of scoring at high efficency without demanding the ball.

 

[itlnsunsfan]

For what it's worth, Bridges' advanced stats say he's very important to winning. Some guys can have misleading advanced stats here and there, but Bridges is rated highly pretty much across the board.

 

[Hoop Head]

He's very very rarely "off"

What you are calling off is him not getting shot oportunities setup by his teamates.

He can and will get better at creating his own shot, and he has great touch.

I don't think you can overvalue Bridges - he is perfect team glue and is actually not very replaceable, because I can't really think of another player quite like him in the league.

Will he ever be selfish enough to be an all-star - probably not - but that is a good thing. You want to have a player that is completely capable of scoring at high efficency without demanding the ball.

I think we can live with him not being an All-Star so long as he's not hoping to get paid like one. That is important. Anymore than $20+ million a year is too much for what he brings, and is likely to bring, to the table.

 

[Proximo]

I think we can live with him not being an All-Star so long as he's not hoping to get paid like one. That is important. Anymore than $20+ million a year is too much for what he brings, and is likely to bring, to the table.

You say that, but don't Lonzo Ball, Gallinari, Zach Collins and several other non all stars make 20 million per?

I would take Mikal over any of those 3.

 

[Muggz]

For every extra 10lbs of muscle he gains 5 million more. Get to work Mikal.

 

[Hoop Head]

You say that, but don't Lonzo Ball, Gallinari, Zach Collins and several other non all stars make 20 million per?

I would take Mikal over any of those 3.

Chicago gave 2 of those deals out, assuming you mean Zack LaVine instead of Collins. LaVine did become an All-Star this last year and I'm sure there's hope Lonzo becomes one as well. If not, he was restricted and overlaying for the Pelicans not to match makes sense. He's barely making more than $20 annually, $85 for 4 years. Gallinari is right at $20 million a year with the deal he signed with Atlanta.

I won't quibble over a few million, I don't want another Joe Johnson situation. If it takes $85 to resign Mikal then fine. I'd like to avoid it though.

 

[Finito]

You say that, but don't Lonzo Ball, Gallinari, Zach Collins and several other non all stars make 20 million per?

I would take Mikal over any of those 3.

yeah 20 million a year isn’t some crazy thing anymore that’s the going rate for a good role player

 

[Yuma]

I think the skills are there. The aggressiveness to his game needs to amp up!

 

[Mainstreet]

I think the skills are there. The aggressiveness to his game needs to amp up!

Bridges needs to work on his mid-range shot and make that shot in the lane as good as money.

 

[95pro]

I’d like to see him work on that first step and his handles. His 3pt shot has made improvements. He’s learned to sometimes get into the midrange and hit it.
with all that said, with the emergence of his offense seems like his defense suffered a bit this year.

 

[SirStefan32]

Monty needs to set a simple goal for Mikal- take 10-12 shots per game at the very least. He is efficient, but sometimes he disappears because he just doesn't take shots. He needs to take more shots.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Monty needs to set a simple goal for Mikal- take 10-12 shots per game at the very least. He is efficient, but sometimes he disappears because he just doesn't take shots. He needs to take more shots.

in order to do this, he has to work on his handles to free himself up more when teams close out on him. It happened once every blue moon, but we saw the Clippers and Bucks shut him down just by sticking on the corner three.

he doesn’t have a quick first step, so it’s got to be the handles he works on to get himself free.

 

[Carolinacacti]

Not enough balls for Mikal to take 12 shots a game. Good thing is he is like the 5th option on this team, I would rather have Cam J. take the shot. Wow Suns will have some Guns next year.

 

[Phrazbit]

I can't believe how many people here are leery of Bridges. IMO, he is our most steady contributor on the roster. I'm not saying he is the best player but I do believe he is the most consistently positive. He always makes an impact, on defense he is great, on offense he is often good... he is a more consistent offensive contribution to being an absolute stud.

IMO, an extension in the neighborhood of 70-80 mil over 4 years is a no brainer, also something that likely won't happen because he will likely command more if we allow him to reach free agency.

 

[Phrazbit]

I do believe that at some point in the next 2-3 years we will have to choose between Bridges and Cam Johnson. I think they're both superb wing players with a diverse set of talents. But they will command similar salaries and with Booker and (assumably) Ayton already locked up on max deals we can't afford to drop 50-60 mil per year on Bridges and Johnson.

One of them will have to be moved for more needed or more affordable assets. I really like both players but I do think Bridges is the more impactful.

 

[leclerc]

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?

 

[Hoop Head]

I do believe that at some point in the next 2-3 years we will have to choose between Bridges and Cam Johnson. I think they're both superb wing players with a diverse set of talents. But they will command similar salaries and with Booker and (assumably) Ayton already locked up on max deals we can't afford to drop 50-60 mil per year on Bridges and Johnson.

One of them will have to be moved for more needed or more affordable assets. I really like both players but I do think Bridges is the more impactful.

The good news is Cam's extension won't kick in until the bulk of CP3's deal is done, as far as guaranteed money. We have at least 2 more years with Cam J and in that first year of his possible extension is when only $15 million of Paul's salary is guaranteed.