After a blockbuster trade, the versatile forward must justify his steep price tag by anchoring the defense and emerging as a primary scoring threat alongside Devin Booker.
The Phoenix Suns are facing a great deal of external pressure heading into the 2026-27 season.
Part of the pressure is in the midst of trading for forward Miles Bridges. The Suns gave up fan-favorites Royce O'Neale and Grayson Allen, as well as an unprotected 2033 first round draft pick to bring the former lottery pick to Phoenix in July.
Bridges is facing pressure himself, as he is continually receiving criticism for past off-court endeavors, as well as questions surrounding how he will fit on the court. Not everyone believes that this fit will be unsuccessful, however.
Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report has high hopes for the pairing between the two sides, as he is predicting that Bridges will finish the campaign as Phoenix's second-leading scorer behind franchise star Devin Booker.
"Bridges' best skill is volume scoring, so look for Phoenix to give him chances to provide as much of that as he possibly can. Bridges may not be the most efficient scorer around, but he could definitely be more efficient than the other leading candidates for this gig (Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks)."
Bridges is expected to slide into an expansive role in his first season with the Suns, but part of that expectation is to buy into head coach Jordan Ott's hard-nosed defensive philosophy, as well as to serve as a quality connective tissue to an offense that finished in the middle tier of the league in 2025-26.
Bridges is below average in scoring efficiency and three point volume (Crafted NBA), but also possesses well above average skills, such as passing, athleticism, and an ability to scale to different lineups that will serve him well in Phoenix in theory.
While Bridges has been on the downtrend in rim pressure over a rolling average, his athleticism is very likely to be maximized in Ott's system, especially alongside Booker - who is still improving as a playmaker to this day. Bridges' off-ball exploits should make him all the more dangerous when the ball is actually in his hands in leverage situations, including in transition.
He isn't the most consistent or efficient volume scorer, but the Michigan State alum should be placed in positions where he can play to his strengths. He is also quite possibly more trustworthy on a game-by-game basis compared to Brooks or Green - as mentioned above.
Only time will tell, but choosing Bridges to finish as the second leading scorer during the upcoming season is a reasonable opinion.
