Moderators: bwgood77, lilfishi22, Qwigglez
Hesh wrote:He's probably behind him in the rotation because Daniels, although doesn't provide much else, will actually hit those 3's. He's a 40% career 3 point shooter. But once Bridges gets confident in his transition to the NBA, he should be good to go.
Bender actually believes Daniels is a better shooter than Booker
https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/nba/suns/2018/10/01/suns-7-footer-bender-says-daniels-more-natural-shooter-than-booker/1469842002/
lilfishi22 wrote:There are lofty expectations though as he's expected to produce early on and doesn't have the leeway of a super young prospect. I'm not too concerned right now though, it's only preseason and he only played 12min.
The main thing for virtually everyone on the team is PG play. If we have good PG play (which we won't until we get an upgrade) then all of our players will be able to play closer to their potential.
Revived wrote:lilfishi22 wrote:There are lofty expectations though as he's expected to produce early on and doesn't have the leeway of a super young prospect. I'm not too concerned right now though, it's only preseason and he only played 12min.
The main thing for virtually everyone on the team is PG play. If we have good PG play (which we won't until we get an upgrade) then all of our players will be able to play closer to their potential.
He played very poorly overall in the summer league as well.
lilfishi22 wrote:Revived wrote:lilfishi22 wrote:There are lofty expectations though as he's expected to produce early on and doesn't have the leeway of a super young prospect. I'm not too concerned right now though, it's only preseason and he only played 12min.
The main thing for virtually everyone on the team is PG play. If we have good PG play (which we won't until we get an upgrade) then all of our players will be able to play closer to their potential.
He played very poorly overall in the summer league as well.
What did you expect though? He's a 3&D type player that's not going to create his own shot. He hit his 3's in SL, grabbed some rebounds, blocked some shots and picked up some steals. Without a better PG rotation, we're not going to be able to maximise his production.
Revived wrote:lilfishi22 wrote:Revived wrote:He played very poorly overall in the summer league as well.
What did you expect though? He's a 3&D type player that's not going to create his own shot. He hit his 3's in SL, grabbed some rebounds, blocked some shots and picked up some steals. Without a better PG rotation, we're not going to be able to maximise his production.
I must be remembering it wrong because I just checked his SL #s and he actually shot the ball pretty well. His assist/to ratio was brutal but that's expected since he's just a 3 & D player.
He didn't look particularly good to me in summer league even though his numbers say otherwise.
As for the whole creating shot thing, that can't be his excuse the whole season if he (or any player for that matter) struggles imo. We saw Ayton scoring yesterday with every single bucket of his being assisted so clearly playmaking is working for him. TJ Warren is a player that can't create for himself and relies on cutting/slashing to score and he did good job scoring yesterday and all last season (despite having no PG).
bwgood77 wrote:Revived wrote:lilfishi22 wrote:What did you expect though? He's a 3&D type player that's not going to create his own shot. He hit his 3's in SL, grabbed some rebounds, blocked some shots and picked up some steals. Without a better PG rotation, we're not going to be able to maximise his production.
I must be remembering it wrong because I just checked his SL #s and he actually shot the ball pretty well. His assist/to ratio was brutal but that's expected since he's just a 3 & D player.
He didn't look particularly good to me in summer league even though his numbers say otherwise.
As for the whole creating shot thing, that can't be his excuse the whole season if he (or any player for that matter) struggles imo. We saw Ayton scoring yesterday with every single bucket of his being assisted so clearly playmaking is working for him. TJ Warren is a player that can't create for himself and relies on cutting/slashing to score and he did good job scoring yesterday and all last season (despite having no PG).
Which is why guys like TJ and Ayton are important as opposed to strict 3D guys and just 3 guys like Anderson. They can score in multiple ways when they get the ball.
bwgood77 wrote:I'll be very surprised if Bridges doesn't become a useful player. With Bender, Chriss and a bunch of McD's other picks, they were either boom/bust picks or bad, but this one was good, though I probably wouldn't have traded an unprotected pick to move up 6 spots. Speaking of McD, if it really too Gentry convincing them to hire Kokoskov (it seemed like an obvious prime coaching candidate when some random fan like me researched it), that's crazy. I know Koko might not be good (though I feel that is very unlikely) but I think it was pretty obvious he was a great candidate. I think we might be better off with James Jones as GM. McD is too under the gun at this point to make good decisions. I like all our players but it feels like with him it's like a crapshoot....Philly knew how to work him on that pick...call him at the last minute. I love Bridges as a prospect but that pick was far more valuable to the Phx Suns than it was to McD because his time is ticking. And I don't think Bridges is a game changer or anything even though I like what he does...he's just a solid 3D guy. He could be among the best if he develops but he just makes some odd decisions.
Revived wrote:lilfishi22 wrote:Revived wrote:He played very poorly overall in the summer league as well.
What did you expect though? He's a 3&D type player that's not going to create his own shot. He hit his 3's in SL, grabbed some rebounds, blocked some shots and picked up some steals. Without a better PG rotation, we're not going to be able to maximise his production.
I must be remembering it wrong because I just checked his SL #s and he actually shot the ball pretty well. His assist/to ratio was brutal but that's expected since he's just a 3 & D player.
He didn't look particularly good to me in summer league even though his numbers say otherwise.
As for the whole creating shot thing, that can't be his excuse the whole season if he (or any player for that matter) struggles imo. We saw Ayton scoring yesterday with every single bucket of his being assisted so clearly playmaking is working for him. TJ Warren is a player that can't create for himself and relies on cutting/slashing to score and he did good job scoring yesterday and all last season (despite having no PG).
lilfishi22 wrote:Revived wrote:lilfishi22 wrote:What did you expect though? He's a 3&D type player that's not going to create his own shot. He hit his 3's in SL, grabbed some rebounds, blocked some shots and picked up some steals. Without a better PG rotation, we're not going to be able to maximise his production.
I must be remembering it wrong because I just checked his SL #s and he actually shot the ball pretty well. His assist/to ratio was brutal but that's expected since he's just a 3 & D player.
He didn't look particularly good to me in summer league even though his numbers say otherwise.
As for the whole creating shot thing, that can't be his excuse the whole season if he (or any player for that matter) struggles imo. We saw Ayton scoring yesterday with every single bucket of his being assisted so clearly playmaking is working for him. TJ Warren is a player that can't create for himself and relies on cutting/slashing to score and he did good job scoring yesterday and all last season (despite having no PG).
Shot creation isn't his strength although he has shown some abilities there. The problem is that in an even smaller role than when he was in college, it's going to be hard to step away from his expected role of being a 3&D guy and attempt to create plays. He'll have some opportunities when they come up and I hope he's productive with those opportunities.
Bridges only played 12min yesterday so it's hard to expect too much from him unless you want him to shoot on sight. Ayton having such a massive advantage athletically gives him the ability to do things players at his skill level shouldn't be able to. Aside from mid rangers he took, I wasn't all that impressed with his iso abilities. He had a nice baseline drive to a reverse but aside from that, he didn't look super skilled.
Bridges has proven himself as a shooter; now, it's about adjusting to the next level.
"I had a stretch in the tournament last year where I wasn’t making 3s, and then the next game, I had multiple 3s," Bridges said. "So it’s not really different to me. I miss some. I know how I’m missing – so that’s the good thing; it’s not like I’m shooting a perfect shot every time. So I know what I’m doing wrong and just gotta get back in the gym."
Bridges doesn't think there's an overarching mechanical problem. He's well-versed in watching film from his college days, and he sees that helping him now. It's allowed him to pinpoint what minor things he could have tweaked on each shot.
Plus, teammates Devin Booker and Trevor Ariza both reminded Bridges what he already knew: sometimes, the shots just won't fall. In the meantime, he's focusing on other aspects of his game that he can control.
"As a shooter, you know you'll have some games where you miss, but that's the last thing I'm worried about when I'm out there," Bridges said. "Just knowing the terminology and to help my teammates on defense is what I'm worried about."
Kokoskov brushed aside any concerns about Bridges' stat sheet in the first two games.
"He shouldn’t overthink," the coach said. "When shots are open, he’s going to shoot them and make that. It’s part of the transition for sure, and confidence, and it’s normal. It’s not a concern about him missing shots."
And while getting back on the court could assuage any doubts, Kokoskov is also not alarmed that Bridges will be missing the upcoming contests. He thinks Bridges has proven himself in other ways, so he doesn't want to risk a more severe injury.
"He’s the guy that we shouldn’t be worried about when it comes to competitiveness and toughness. And he’s young, but we know who he is," Kokoskov said.
"He’ll do everything that we ask him to do. He’s very professional following the steps when it comes to recovering and getting ready for whenever he’s going to be ready."
bhawk wrote:My impression after seeing Mikal in-person during the Denver debacle, is that he is going to be GOOD. The moment / game was not too big for Bridges. He was poised and played within the system. Good handle, smooth, long, great anticipation of screens, and he was a knock-down shooter in the Denver game. I was VERY impressed. He arguably out-played JJ.
I agree with some other posters that JJ is trending towards a Ron Artest / Marcus Smart / Dray Green defensive specialist. Mikal is a skinnier Joe Johnson without the post-up game.
