Suns rookie Mikal Bridges likely out for rest of preseason with elbow injury

Suns rookie Mikal Bridges has gotten an early taste of the NBA, but a left elbow injury means he'll have to wait for more. 

"It’s nothing serious, but he’s out of any basketball activities for the next seven days," coach Igor Kokoskov said Friday after the Suns' 115-92 loss to the Trail Blazers. 

Bridges injured the elbow in Wednesday's preseason game against the New Zealand Breakers. He subbed out and initially felt fine before he felt some lingering pain and swelling. He missed Friday's game against the Trail Blazers, and the plan right now is to nurse it a little longer. 

Kokoskov is deferring to his medical staff, but if their approximation pans out, Bridges will miss the Suns' final two games of the preseason: on the road against Golden State and Portland. 

Any preseason playing time is valuable for rookies, but in Bridges' case, it could also help him specifically work out a few things with his shooting. 

In the first two games of the preseason, Bridges was 1 of 8 from the field. He missed all five of his 3-point attempts, as he's still adjusting to the longer range of the NBA.  

As a junior last season, he averaged 17.7 points per game on the Villanova team that captured it's second NCAA men's title in three years. The Suns saw that and acquired him in the draft via trade after he went 10th overall to Philadelphia. 

Bridges has proven himself as a shooter; now, it's about adjusting to the next level.

"I had a stretch in the tournament last year where I wasn’t making 3s, and then the next game, I had multiple 3s," Bridges said. "So it’s not really different to me. I miss some. I know how I’m missing – so that’s the good thing; it’s not like I’m shooting a perfect shot every time. So I know what I’m doing wrong and just gotta get back in the gym."

Bridges doesn't think there's an overarching mechanical problem. He's well-versed in watching film from his college days, and he sees that helping him now. It's allowed him to pinpoint what minor things he could have tweaked on each shot. 

Plus, teammates Devin Booker and Trevor Ariza both reminded Bridges what he already knew: sometimes, the shots just won't fall. In the meantime, he's focusing on other aspects of his game that he can control.

"As a shooter, you know you'll have some games where you miss, but that's the last thing I'm worried about when I'm out there," Bridges said. "Just knowing the terminology and to help my teammates on defense is what I'm worried about."

Kokoskov brushed aside any concerns about Bridges' stat sheet in the first two games.

"He shouldn’t overthink," the coach said. "When shots are open, he’s going to shoot them and make that. It’s part of the transition for sure, and confidence, and it’s normal. It’s not a concern about him missing shots."

And while getting back on the court could assuage any doubts, Kokoskov is also not alarmed that Bridges will be missing the upcoming contests. He thinks Bridges has proven himself in other ways, so he doesn't want to risk a more severe injury.

"He’s the guy that we shouldn’t be worried about when it comes to competitiveness and toughness. And he’s young, but we know who he is," Kokoskov said.

"He’ll do everything that we ask him to do. He’s very professional following the steps when it comes to recovering and getting ready for whenever he’s going to be ready."

READ MORE:

• Suns would flourish with proven point guard like Damian Lillard
• New Suns power forward Richaun Holmes brings energy, intensity
• 5 takeaways from Suns' narrow preseason win over New Zealand