ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, Phoenix Suns say Mikal Bridges lock for NBA defensive player of the year

Stephen A. Smith said it last week.

Monty Williams and Devin Booker repeated it Sunday night.

All three believe Phoenix Suns wing Mikal Bridges should be the NBA’s defensive player of the year this season.

“He doesn’t duck a matchup,” Williams said after Sunday's overtime win at Sacramento. “… He guards the toughest guys every single night without a blink and everybody in that locker room appreciates what he does every single night, but I’ll say it again, he should be defensive player of the year.”

Bridges tweeted “Stephen A valid in my book” last week in response to Smith’s comments that Warriors All-Star Draymond Green shouldn’t win the award after missing nearly two-and-a-half months with injuries.

“Draymond, get that out your head,” Smith said last week on ESPN’s First Take. “You don’t miss 32 games and you are defensive player of the year. That title is going to belong to Mikal Bridges of the Phoenix Suns. That’s the defensive player of the year. Let’s get that out the way right now. There’s nothing to talk about. This brother’s special, OK, and he deserves this high praise. He’s getting it from me.”

Green believes he can still win the award, but did name Bridges as one of two players whose defense has stood out to him.

"When I look around the league, Mikal Bridges has been really good defensively and (Grizzlies forward) Jaren Jackson Jr. has picked it up defensively," Green said during an March 14 press conference when returning from injury.

Green and Jackson both played at Michigan State.

Jackson and Bridges are in the same heralded 2018 draft class. Jackson went fourth overall while Bridges was taken with the 10th selection out of Villanova.

"But I don't think anybody has solidified themselves (as defensive player of the year) and I think we can all agree through 34 games, it as already solidified," continued Green. "So yeah, I think I still can (win the award)."

Bridges expressed his appreciation to Smith after Sunday's win as the Suns wing tied a season high in points with 27 in a career-best 50 minutes, but he isn’t getting too excited over the possibility of taking home the award.

“I can’t control that,” Bridges said. “I go out there and try to help my team win and play defense and do all the other things. I appreciate what (Smith) said. It’s pretty dope for him to say that.”

Bridges continued by saying he’s surprised to even be in the conversation.

“If I don’t win it or anything like that, I just know my teammates know I play hard and I defend,” Bridges said. “That’s all that really matters.”

One of those teammates – Booker – thinks Bridges is a no brainer for the award.

“He’s defensive player of the year, no doubt,” Booker said. “The criteria varies so often so it’s kind of hard to pinpoint who the NBA wants it to be, but I think it’s pretty obvious in what he’s doing. From guarding point guards to four man sometimes.”

Booker added that the Suns having a great year further validates Bridges winning the award. The Suns have the NBA’s best record at 58-14 and are second in the league in defensive rating behind Boston.

Bridges has had a huge say in both.

Leading the league in total minutes played, Bridges is averaging a career-best 14.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.2 steals.

Bridges has never been voted NBA all-defense, but he has firmly established himself as an elite perimeter defender in his fourth NBA season.

With a 7-1 wing span, the 6-6 Bridges utilizes his length, quickness and understanding of the game plan to nullify the game's best scorers.

The latest example of all that came in last week's 129-102 crushing of the Bulls.

With Bridges leading the defensive charge, All-Star Zach LaVine shot just 1-of-7 from the field in finishing with 12 points (10-of-12 from the line, nine assists).

LaVine is averaging 24.5 points on 48% shooting (39.5% from 3).

So Bridges seems bound to make either first or second team this season – and may also capture the league's top defensive honor, too.

“It’s pretty obvious to me,” Booker concluded.

Williams compared the way Bridges plays defense to Michael Cooper, Alvin Robertson and Metta World Peace.

“He’s guarding guys from the outside in,” Williams said. “That is really hard to do.”

Robertson (1985-86 season), Cooper (1986-87) and World Peace (2003-04) each won the defensive player of the year award.

“Those guys did it every night and he’s just like that,” Williams added.

Green won the award in the 2016-17 season and was a runaway favorite for the honor this season before suffering multiple injuries with the major one being to his back that kept him out multiple weeks.

The 6-6 forward missed 31 games counting the one he started against Cleveland in Klay Thompson’s return Jan. 9 to be on the floor briefly with his longtime teammate for the game before he was quickly subbed out. Thompson had missed two full seasons with multiple injuries, but Green wanted to be part of the memorable moment.

Right after the opening tip, Green took a planned foul and exited the game seven seconds into it.

The Warriors were first in defensive rating at 102.2 before Green got hurt Jan. 5, according to FanNation.

They remained atop the league going into the All-Star break at 104.6, but they’re now third behind Boston and Phoenix at 106.2 after slipping considerably in Green’s absence.

In the last 15 games of the season, the Warriors are 18th in defensive rating at 114.6.

Those numbers show how much Green means to their defense.

He returned March 14 against Washington, has played three games, but hasn’t been shy about expressing his place in the conversation for the award.

"I don't know what league everybody else been watching, but I have not seen anyone solidify themselves as the defensive player of the year," Green said.

Green has played 37 games this season. The Warriors have 11 games left.

The most games Green could play this season is 48. Alonzo Mourning is the only player to win the award playing fewer than 50, but it was during the 1998-99 lockout season. Mourning played 46 games in an NBA-shortened 50-game regular season.

However, Jazz center Rudy Gobert received the award in the 2017-18 season after playing in just 56 regular-season games.

Former Suns center Tyson Chandler played 62 games when winning the award with the Knicks, but that was during the 2011-12 lockout season when the league played 66 regular-season games.

Bridges has never missed a game in his NBA career.

Have opinion about current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on Twitter at @DuaneRankin.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Suns say Mikal Bridges lock for NBA's defensive player of the year award