The Phoenix Suns appeared to be in a world of trouble following Devin Booker's Christmas day injury. Booker has now missed 18 straight games, with Phoenix losing nine of their first 11 games without their star man. However, the Suns appear to have turned things around. They have won six of their past seven games, thanks in no small part to Mikal Bridges' continued expansion of his offensive repertoire.
In fact, Bridges seems to be effectively running halfcourt sets the Suns have designed for Booker – at least according to his teammate Deandre Ayton.
Speaking with reporters following the Suns' strong 114-106 win over the Toronto Raptors at home, Deandre Ayton revealed that he had been telling Devin Booker that “it's crazy” how Mikal Bridges is able to run Booker's plays, per Kellan Olson of Arizona Sports. Just to put in perspective how “crazy” it has been for the Suns, Ayton said that they have begun calling such offensive sets “Mikalbow” as some sort of wordplay to honor the burgeoning wing.
However, Bridges denies Ayton's claims, saying that those jokes are just “another way everyone is messing with him”.
Nevertheless, regardless of the truth value of Deandre Ayton's claims, it's clear that the Suns have needed Mikal Bridges to spread his wings on offense in recent weeks. Chris Paul and Cameron Johnson's absences, in addition to Booker's, have meant that Bridges' usually complementary offensive game had to take center stage.
As is usually the case with giving a player offensive burden they may not be particularly accustomed to, Bridges has had his fair share of stinkers. Due to his increased offensive workload, the 6'6 forward has seen his efficiency numbers take a dip.
Still, this stretch should only help Bridges and the Suns in the long run. One defensive adjustment the Dallas Mavericks made during their playoff matchup last season was to trap Devin Booker and Chris Paul to force the ball out of their hands and make the Suns' supporting cast beat them. Bridges, in particular, struggled considerably during the tail-end of that series.
However, if he keeps running “Mikalbow” in such an effective manner, then he may very well give the Suns another player who can make plays when the going gets rough.
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