Phoenix Suns: 5 takeaways from Week 1 of 2018-19 season

5. Mikal Bridges, Richaun Holmes need more minutes

This team’s defensive flaws deserve their own takeaway here, but before we dive into that, here’s the CliffNotes version: The Phoenix Suns suck at defense again, so rather than playing guys like Isaiah Canaan and Ryan Anderson 20-30 minutes a night, they should probably consider playing their No. 10 overall draft pick.

You know, the one who was highly touted for his 3-and-D skill-set, his NBA-readiness and his defensive versatility. The one the Suns gave up a potentially valuable 2021 first round pick for (via the Miami Heat). You know, that guy!

The raw numbers don’t do Mikal Bridges’ impact when he’s actually been on the court justice. Though he’s only scored a grand total of 17 points in 45 minutes, his 10-point performance in 15 minutes against the Nuggets should’ve been a clear signal to head coach Igor Kokoskov that he needs more playing time.

Fans should only expect gradual increases on this front, however.

"“Mikal is our future and he’s going to be a great player,” Kokoskov said. “I don’t think at this moment he can change momentum of the game; I don’t think that’s the answer. I don’t want to put so much pressure on him. We’re going to keep giving him more and asking for more and he’s going to be ready for that.”"

Bridges is only 3-for-9 from 3-point range thus far, but he was long range marksman in college and there’s no reason to think that won’t continue over a larger sample size. The fact that he’s a +14 overall in his time on the court doesn’t hurt either, especially since Trevor Ariza — the guy being paid $15 million to teach the youngsters better habits — has been atrocious since game one, with lackluster defense, worrisome body language and a -40 total plus minus in 135 minutes.

As for Richaun Holmes, there’s literally no data to support the case for a guy who’s posted a grand total of two points, seven rebounds, one block and one steal over his 13 minutes this season, during which time he’s been a -12.

However, he’s better than what we’ve seen from the 36-year-old Tyson Chandler. While the vet has plenty of wisdom to impart on Deandre Ayton and the rest of the roster, he’s about 10 steps slow on the defensive end these days. He can’t defend stretch-bigs past the paint, he offers hardly any resistance as a rim protector and it’s not surprising he’s a -37 in 58 minutes this season.

Ugly plus/minus numbers can obviously be skewed over such a tiny sample size, but Ariza and Chandler have looked the part. Bridges at least needs to earn regular bench minutes as part of small-ball lineups, and with Ayton learning the ropes as he deals with fatigue and teams targeting him to get him in foul trouble, Holmes needs to be given a shot as the backup center sooner rather than later.