The Phoenix Suns had quite a season.
With the exception of Michal Bridges, every starter has missed (at least) a few games due to injury. Phoenix has yet to deal with Jae Crowder, and as a result the current stable of players will have to do their part until further help arrives.
With Devin Booker ruled out for the next four weeks (groin) after missing five games this month, many expected Bridges to step up and be the man to lead the way to Phoenix.
But the Suns are now losing four of their last five games, and Bridges is only averaging 11 points per night in those games.
Many believe Bridges is responsible for taking his game to the next level. Breacher’s Zach Buckley of his reports analyzed it in his latest article finding out the winners and losers of the NBA for December.
Mychal Bridges Considered December Loser By Bleacher Report
“Overall, Bridges’ performances in the 2022-23 season have been admirable and, considering his lockdown defense, deserving of a Borderline All-Star,” Buckley said.
“But December was a rough one. There was more for the Suns as a whole, but Bridges needed to level up to cover for an injured Devin Booker, and instead he took a step back for the worse.
“He entered the month with 51.8% of his field goals. In December, his connection rate plummeted to 39.2. His assists dropped (from 3.5 to 2.3) and his turnovers increased. (from 1.1 to 1.6) The Suns led his team with 8.2 points per 100 possessions in 477 minutes.
“It’s hard for any team to survive the loss of a superstar. It’s even harder for a second star to step into the spotlight. It was a chance for Bridges to show how much his game has grown, but he’s in support. Looked like… an actor whose ceiling is shy of stardom.”
Other losers in the article were Lakers guards other than the Chicago Bulls, Rudy Gobert, Trae Young and Austin Reeves.