Mavs vs. Suns: Luka Doncic Ready For Mikal Bridges Matchup
The NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award went to Marcus Smart this season, but Phoenix Suns' Mikal Bridges would have been a well-deserving recipient had he won it. He will be among the top X-factors for the Suns against the Dallas Mavericks for this reason.
There's been speculation about whether Bridges will end up matching up primarily on Luka Doncic or Jalen Brunson when the Suns face the Mavericks in the Western Conference Semifinals. There's a strong case to be made for either option.
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Doncic expects Bridges to guard him and recently described him as being one of the "top two guards" in the NBA defensively. Given how important Doncic is to the Mavericks' offense, it is difficult to envision Bridges not guarding him primarily at some point.
“They have Bridges,” Doncic said. “I know he’s going to be on me. He’s the best, in the top two guards, him and Smart. But it’s really tough against him. His defense is amazing. It really impresses me."
When explaining what makes Bridges such a talented defender, Doncic pointed out the strength of his hands along with the timing he plays with when making plays on the ball.
“He has strong hands, that’s one part,” Doncic said. “But I think he’s smart on the defensive end. He knows where to attack the ball, where to go for a blocked shot, really smart on defense.”
Doncic has managed to succeed in previous playoff performances against elite defenders like Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, so his production shouldn't be much of a concern for the Mavericks. The LA Clippers, when healthy, have an elite capability on defense when going small with Nicolas Batum at the five. The Suns do not.
Brunson has struggled at times against long defenders and perhaps Bridges could attempt to neutralize him by taking on that assignment. The mindset behind such a decision from the Suns would be "we aren't going to stop Doncic regardless, so let's shut down the other creator in the unit."
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The Suns have some options matching up against the Mavericks since they deploy a few 3-and-D wings like Reggie Bullock and Dorian Finney-Smith. Both players could be guarded by Chris Paul and Devin Booker to reduce their workload throughout games.
If Paul and Booker guard Bullock and Finney-Smith, it leaves Jae Crowder and Bridges to be tasked with the Doncic and Brunson matchups. With how the Mavericks like to use perimeter players as screeners to draw switches, the whole Suns' defense will be put to task, whether making the switch or in show and recover.
For as much flack as Rudy Gobert may catch for his offensive game, he still made a significant impact on the Mavericks' offense with his presence in the paint. Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson found ways to attack, but the whole Mavericks' offense including Spencer Dinwiddie was clearly uncomfortable attacking deep on a drive. Ayton is no Gobert in that respect.
