The Phoenix Suns lost 127-104 on Wednesday, but they had some bright spots with TyTy Washington Jr. and Jalen Bridges despite being without Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. Washington Jr. contributed eight points, one rebound, and one assist during his 16 minutes of action. During the contest, he made two three-pointers. Bridges played six minutes and recorded one point and one rebound.
Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro are two Suns rookies who have improved team morale. Although they have been given greater playing time, Bridges and Washington both seized the limited chance. Both players are two-way players, which means they may play for the G-League affiliate Valley Suns as well as the Phoenix Suns.
Those people could be promoted to the main roster at any point. The injury report for the game on Wednesday was stacked high. In addition to Durant and Beal, Grayson Allen was also disqualified. Jusuf Nurkic, the center, only played 17 minutes because he was attempting to recover from an ankle ailment.
Budenholzer sent in Washington and Bridges after waving the white flag as the game was becoming unmanageable. Both players made good contributions, which may have surprised Suns supporters but not Budenholzer. After the game, he honestly discussed how Washington’s efforts are paying off with Duane Rankin of AZCentral.
In his third season, Washington is accustomed to the NBA. He was selected 29th overall by the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2022 NBA Draft after demonstrating promise with Kentucky basketball. Prior to being moved to the Houston Rockets, he was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves. In 14 minutes of action during his rookie campaign, Washington averaged 4.7 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game. In addition, he started two of his thirty-one games.
Eventually, he signed with the Milwaukee Bucks on a two-way contract last season. His statistics dropped off, mostly due to a lack of playing time. But he fared better from three-point range, shooting 33.3% as opposed to 23.8% during his rookie campaign. Although there’s only been a one-game sample size, Washington’s shooting looked impressive, to say the least.
“He’s been good in practices, good in the G-League games,” Budenholzer said. “That work is something we like to reward.”
