The Phoenix Suns are 1-2, last in the league in defense, and getting beat on the boards in the middle with their centers down. Part of their answer is a forward playing center — and Miles Bridges knows exactly what the job asks of him.
When the Suns go small and Bridges is the five in that group — with Ryan Dunn, Collin Gillespie, Luke and whoever else is out there — his list is plain: get the opposing bigs out of the paint, protect the paint, rebound, and play faster. “We gotta play faster when I’m the five in that group,” he said Thursday.
Bridges did not narrow the Suns’ defensive problems down to one thing. “It’s everything,” he said. Sometimes they are not in the right spots, and that part can be handled with communication. The rest is effort: getting to the ball more and finishing possessions with rebounds. “Physicality on defense needs to get better, so that’s what we’ve been working on.”
On offense, that small group runs on play passing — everybody a passer, everybody a threat in the five-out look. What Bridges wants the Suns to become is the most versatile team in the league, the way he pointed to last year’s Toronto Raptors as the example. “That’s what we want to do,” he said.
Bridges is settling in while he does it. His production has climbed in each of the first three games, up to 17 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists in 32 minutes against Oklahoma City on Monday, and the Suns have needed every bit of it with Oso Ighodaro out and Mark Williams still recovering.
His read on the whole thing was measured: it is the third game of the season, the Suns are still figuring each other out — and once they do, he thinks they are going to be a really good team.
For stats information on the Suns, readers can visit www.cbssports.com.
Article provided by Sports Tracker
© Old Town News Scottsdale — oldtownnews.us
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