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jcsunsfan wrote:Mikal is not one of those players who will have to be given opportunities to develop. He is the type of player that you just won't want to take out of the game once he is in.

He is climbing most rookie ladders right now. He is in the 8 range on most, but he will climb as he gets starters minutes and makes impact.

WeekapaugGroove wrote:

jcsunsfan wrote:Mikal is not one of those players who will have to be given opportunities to develop. He is the type of player that you just won't want to take out of the game once he is in.

He is climbing most rookie ladders right now. He is in the 8 range on most, but he will climb as he gets starters minutes and makes impact.

He's a great example of why it much easier to develop a guy who comes in ready to play defense. Almost all young guys make mistakes and take time to be effective offensive players but when you can hold your own on d coaches play you and that gives you the reps you need to grow.

Now the tricky part is not a lot of prospects are as ready defensively as Bridges was coming in.

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Now​ in​ his 11th​ season,​ Phoenix​ forward​ Ryan Anderson​ has​ watched​ his​ niche​ in​ the NBA evolve from a novelty​ to​ something approaching​​ nostalgia. But he can also see the future of his position. In fact, the future sits right next to him in the Suns locker room. It is in the cubicle occupied by rookie Mikal Bridges.

Anderson, who started the season as a Suns starter, has slipped out of coach Igor Kokoskov’s rotation. So he has made it his pet project to help Bridges, a rookie from Villanova. It is Bridges who now is in the starting lineup and playing bigger minutes.

“Mikal, man, he is such a talented young player, and he has a really bright future in this league,” Anderson said. “You see so many flashes of it this season even so far. He’s long, he’s athletic, he can guard. He’s kind of the future of that three-four combo in the NBA. I think he’s one of those guys who plays with a chip on his shoulder. And, like me, he’s his own worst enemy sometimes because I don’t think he realizes how good he really is.” So Anderson reminds Bridges of how good he is at every opportunity. He even has a pet name for his pet project.

DaleyBlind wrote:Thought he was supposed to be a decent shooter?

RaisingArizona wrote:It's hard to get excited about our young guys because after they play well for a stretch, they start to play bad. It's happened with all of them.

Djedefre wrote:I'm pretty puzzled by Kal's bad shooting so far. He's bricking even wide open shots. How legit of a shooter is he really?

bwgood77 wrote:

Djedefre wrote:I'm pretty puzzled by Kal's bad shooting so far. He's bricking even wide open shots. How legit of a shooter is he really?

Shot 43.5% last year on 3.4 attempts per game and projected as best 3 pt shooter in this class. Shot 84.5% from the line and only 90% the previous year. Has a great high release point and nice shooting motion. I think he is just in a slump and will be fine.