Jalen Bridges has a jumper and a frame but is it enough to stay in Phoenix?
Welcome to our Phoenix Suns Season in Review series, where we take a closer look at each player who suited up during the 2024–25 campaign. One by one, we’ll break down what went right, what went wrong, and what each player can do to take the next step heading into next season.
You might be wondering why we’re spending time doing player reviews for guys on two-way contracts. Why bother dissecting the brief, flickering presence of someone like Jalen Bridges, a name you barely heard on the broadcasts and probably couldn’t pick out of a lineup at Sky Harbor?
Here’s why.
Because sometimes these obscure little footnotes in May turn into something that matters in March. Maybe one day we’ll look back at this piece and say, “Yeah, that’s where it started.” The first breadcrumbs. The first glimpse. That spark of potential Phoenix actually managed to nurture instead of squander.
But more likely?
More likely, we’ll be digging this write-up out of the archives to send over to the editor of a different SB Nation site after a trade. Some other fanbase trying to talk themselves into a bench wing with “positional versatility” and a “high motor.” This review becomes a scouting report, a receipt, a eulogy.
That’s the nature of it. That’s the grind. We track it all, even the long shots. Because in this league, the margins matter. And sometimes, those margins grow into something worth remembering.
Jalen Bridges
- Position: Wing
- Vitals: 6’8”, 225 pounds, 23 years old
- Experience: 1 year
- Stats: 8 GP, 1.1 PPG (28.6 FG%, 28.6 FT%), 0.5 RPG, 0.0 APG, 0.5 TO
Contract Details
Jalen Bridges wasn’t drafted in the 2024 NBA Draft out of Baylor. The Suns signed him to a two-way contract for this past season, and he will be a restricted free agent this summer.
Regular Season Recap
Jalen Bridges was a very James Jones signing. Textbook, even. An older rookie fresh out of four seasons in college (two at West Virginia, two at Baylor), the 6’8” wing fit the mold Jones seems to favor: seasoned, mature, low-risk. He brings just enough athleticism to be intriguing and a confident enough three-point stroke to keep the dream alive. That’s the profile. Age, shooting, and a hope that maybe he could be something.
Bridges didn’t get much of a chance with the big club. His time with the Phoenix Suns was more of a cameo than a role: 30 total minutes, 9 total points, and every single shot attempt came from beyond the arc. No dribble drives, no off-ball cuts, no chaos. Just spot-up threes in the waning seconds of lost games. Garbage time, meet development time.
Where Bridges made his name this year was in the G League with the Valley Suns. In 31 games, he put up a respectable 14.3 points a night on solid 43/39/80 shooting splits. He helped lead the Valley Suns to the G League playoffs, where they were bounced by the eventual champs, the Stockton Kings. It wasn’t flashy, but it was functional. And if nothing else, he proved he belongs somewhere in the professional basketball ecosystem.
Still, that leap — the one from promising G Leaguer to meaningful NBA contributor — never came close to materializing. There were no “wait a minute” moments. No glimpses of something that demanded another look. For now, Jalen Bridges feels like a placeholder. A developmental bet that didn’t pay immediate dividends.
But that’s how it goes with two-way guys. Most don’t hit. Some do. And the question now is whether Bridges gets another roll of the dice, or if he becomes another line on the long list of G League guys who almost were.
Biggest Strength
Bridges has all the physical tools you’d want in a developmental wing. The length is there. The athleticism? No question. And most importantly, in today’s NBA, the man can shoot. He knocked down 39.8% of his threes in the G League this season, hit 37% over his college career, and finished his senior year at Baylor at a blistering 41.2%. That’s not fluky, that’s a track record.
So why hasn’t it clicked yet?
Maybe it’s as simple as this: he hasn’t had the reps. The rhythm. The leash. With Phoenix, Bridges was never given a real opportunity to show what he could do. You can’t evaluate a player on garbage-time threes and box scores filled with zeros. Some guys need a consistent run to reveal their value, to play through mistakes, to find their place, to let instincts take over.
Bridges has the deliverables. The raw material is there. Now it’s a question of whether the Suns, or some other team, are willing to give him the one thing he hasn’t had yet at the NBA level: real, meaningful minutes. Because until then, he’ll remain what he is now: a maybe.
Biggest Weakness
Bridges looks the part defensively. Long frame, wiry athleticism, the kind of physical profile you’d expect to translate. But as of now, that promise hasn’t materialized into production. If you’re hunting for a true “3-and-D” contributor, Bridges hasn’t yet filled in the “D” half of that equation.
His defensive rating with the Valley Suns was 111.2, fourth worst on the team, and the tape backs it up. He struggles with positioning, gambles too often, and hasn’t quite figured out how to use his physical gifts to disrupt rhythm or shut down space. It’s not for lack of tools. It’s about timing, instincts, and effort, all of which can come with experience…or never show up at all.
Then there’s the rebounding.
For a guy with his length, his numbers on the glass are underwhelming. That’s part of the trade-off with modern perimeter wings. They’re trained to live from arc to arc, to leak out instead of crashing the boards, to chase space instead of seizing it. It’s how the game is taught now. And while it works for some — those who shoot well enough or defend consistently enough to justify the trade-off — it leaves guys like Bridges hanging in the liminal space between “maybe” and “not quite.”
There’s talent here. But talent without a defining strength at the NBA level is just potential waiting to expire.
Likelihood of Return: 7.5
With Bridges entering restricted free agency, the uncertainty is thick. You’d be hard-pressed to say he put enough on tape to spark real intrigue from another front office, at least not the kind that leads to a guaranteed deal. He’s a flyer, a project, a “maybe” in a league that often doesn’t have the patience for maybes.
If no offer sheet comes — and that feels likely — Phoenix could easily bring him back on another two-way. Low risk, low cost, and the developmental runway still stretches out in front of him. They’ve seen the flashes. He knows the system. And there’s a certain comfort in continuity, especially when the player is still a moldable piece of clay.
Bridges’ journey isn’t over. But the next step, whether it’s a breakthrough or another year of seasoning in the G League, probably comes back in a Suns jersey.
Overall Grade: D+
As an NBA player, Jalen Bridges still has a long road ahead of him. And that’s not an indictment. It’s just the reality of where he is. We didn’t see much of him in a Phoenix Suns jersey, and when we did, the flashes were faint. I remember being intrigued by him during last year’s Summer League, circling his name like a maybe-lottery ticket. That excitement never cashed in during the regular season.
On a roster starved for youth and athleticism, Bridges might’ve had a narrow window to make an impact. But two-way players live on the fringe for a reason. They’re development swings, not rotation saviors. And let’s be honest: given how Budenholzer mismanaged this team — like I mismanaged my first credit card at 18 — there probably wasn’t a realistic path for Bridges to matter this year. That’s not entirely his fault. That’s just how things shake out when timelines clash and roles are locked in by veteran inertia.
Still, he has tools. The jumper is real. The frame is NBA-ready. And if he sticks around, likely on another two-way deal, there’s time to smooth the edges. Bridges isn’t ready yet. But “not yet” isn’t the same as “never.”
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