Miles Bridges thinks Booker deserves a ring, and he’s ready to go to war to get one. We can all agree on that. The Phoenix Suns fans deserve a Booker ring, too. The entire Valley, from the transplant Bulls fans to the born Phoenicians with closets full of Lakers gear, deserves a Booker ring, but did the Suns front office put enough around Booker to truly contend for one?
Brian Gregory couldn’t be more excited about adding Miles Bridges. There was a defiant sparkle in his eye as he sat next to Bridges at the introductory press conference. To me, he clearly thinks he got away with something when he finally managed to pry Bridges away from the Hornets. Gregory confidently took every question that was asked regarding Miles Bridges’ history with domestic violence, acknowledged it, and explained what the Suns liked about Miles from a basketball fit. He has a long history with Miles Bridges going back to MSU.
Miles Bridges answered every question thrown his way as well. He spoke on his off-court issues but also talked about how he can help the Suns as a basketball player and that he might surprise fans who aren’t familiar with his game. He mentioned that he’s an underrated playmaker, he emphasized defense and rebounding, and acknowledged that part of his role is to get Booker his points. He saw the Suns’ playoff series against the Thunder and clearly came away with some of the same takeaways the rest of us did, as to where the Suns need to improve moving forward.
Everything Miles Bridges said about his game is everything I wanted for this team as a Suns fan. A physical four who can body someone up on the boards, and get his offensive game off without stopping the ball. That’s not the Miles Bridges that Charlotte got, but the second-chance theme is a big part of the Miles Bridges trade, whether talking about the off-court issues or the basketball fit. I believe Miles Bridges when he says he’s ready to go to war to win a championship with this Suns team.
Is Booker?
Whether or not you think Booker is a superstar on the court, he’s unquestionably a superstar off the court. He’s involved with the Kardashians, gets his name dropped in Drake lyrics, has his own signature shoe, and is respected by every player around the league. He’s been to the doorstep of greatness and was turned away. It’s not an easy road to get back. It’s a battle, or as Bridges said, a war. Does Booker, who has already achieved so much in basketball and in life, have the edge to claw his way back?
I understand roles change with age and I think Book’s game is evolving in a way that could be beneficial for the Phoenix Suns, but watching Booker make right play after right play in the playoffs as the Thunder funneled the ball to Brooks and Green to the tune of forty plus shots, makes me wonder if the Booker who was so comfortable deferring on the playoff stage, still has that desire to lead a contender in a league that continues to add more young talent every year.
Miles Bridges, as described in the press conference, is going to improve the Suns but the question of contending, of getting Book that ring everyone thinks he deserves, still comes down to the Phoenix Suns being able to optimize the production of Devin Booker. It’s my personal opinion that, in order for the Suns to do that, there needs to be a second All-Star next to him. It’s the only way he’s going to get the space he needs to get his shot off.
Is Miles Bridges a capable third or fourth option on a potential championship team? I could be talked into that. I just don’t think the Suns’ biggest hurdle to securing a championship is their third- or fourth-option players. The Suns’ problem is at the top of the roster. Is Jalen Green the number two that the Suns need to pull defenders off of Booker? He wasn’t in the Thunder series. Does Devin Booker still have an appetite for the work it will take to add a championship to his already impressive resume? He didn’t play the Thunder series like a superstar desperate to survive.
I don’t think the Suns have a championship team as currently constructed, but I don’t think that has anything to do with whether they have Miles Bridges on the team. The Suns’ ceiling will be set by the performance of the players at the top of the roster.
So welcome to the Valley, Miles Bridges. We think that Booker deserves a ring, too. I just don’t know if the Suns have the team to do it. Yet.
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