Suns forward Bridges has been impressive defensively this season, especially when he misplaced against the Warriors when defending Curry. His solid, well-rounded performance has also earned Bridges recognition from many, and his teammates and coaches are now helping him rally votes for the award of Best Defensive Player.
Suns defender Booker said: "There is no doubt that he should be the best defensive player of the season. ”
Suns coach Monty Williams said: "He should be voted the best defensive player of the season. He never refused any duels, every night he defended any player, his playing time was very high, but he still performed well on the offensive end. I don't think it's any 'Iron Man' style, I just think this young man likes to play, likes to compete, he's a winner. ”
Bridges' base defensive stats this season aren't outstanding, whether it's 4.3 defensive rebounds per game, or 1.2 steals and 0.5 blocks per game.
In the high-level defensive data, Bridges' performance is also not so prominent. Defensively efficient, he's only 106.5, in the middle of the Suns' rankings, and even less than veterans like Paul and Crowder. In terms of limiting the opponent's shooting rate, Bridges' performance is also decent. Despite the experience of successfully defending Curry, one game doesn't say anything.
So no matter how much the Suns coaches and players canvass, they can't hide the fact that Bridges' defense isn't supernatural. It's also probably why Warriors forward Green still feels he's the league's best defensive player after missing so many games, because, as he says, no one in the league has seized the opportunity to show extremely good defense in his absenteeism.
Of course, the decision of the best defensive player is not in the hands of the league, but in the hands of the media people. Many times, the voting of media people does not pay attention to defensive data, but will take the individual high-profile games whether the players show super defense, especially an ordinary player freezing superstars as the starting point of voting. At the same time, a team's record and the degree of media publicity before voting will also affect the outcome of the vote.
So, whether Bridges can ultimately be selected as the best defensive player depends on how the media vote?
It is worth mentioning that among the best defensive players in NBA history, the Suns have not yet won. If Bridges is elected, he will also be the First Man for the Suns.