NBA Notes: Suns, Dillon Brooks, Nuggets, roster, Bucks

Suns

Dillon Brooks believes the Suns have more ways to play after adding Miles Bridges and Luke Kennard this offseason.

Brooks told reporters that Bridges gives Phoenix additional size, athleticism and defensive versatility, while Kennard provides another high-level shooter. Kennard led the NBA in 3-point percentage last season.

“I think we added some shooting, some spacing with both of those guys, and then some athleticism as well,” Brooks said, via Brendan Mau of NBA on SI. “We can interchange lineups.”

Brooks is particularly intrigued by playing alongside Bridges defensively, saying the two should be able to switch assignments depending on matchups.

He’s also looking forward to working with rookie Koa Peat, whom Phoenix traded up to select. Brooks sees some similarities between their games and joked that he can teach Peat everything except “the crazy.”

Phoenix went 45-37 in Jordan Ott’s first season before being swept in the opening round of the playoffs.

Nuggets

The Nuggets managed 54 wins last season despite rarely having their preferred lineup available.

Nikola Jokic missed 18 games, Aaron Gordon 46, Christian Braun 38, Cameron Johnson 28 and Peyton Watson 28. According to Logan Struck of Nuggets on SI, Denver’s preferred starting five went 18-5 when healthy.

That explains why owner Josh Kroenke hasn’t lost faith in the group.

“I thought that if this group was healthy, that this could be a 60-65 win team,” Kroenke said after last season.

Denver’s bigger concern entering this season may be its depth. Tim Hardaway Jr. and Bruce Brown are gone, leaving the Nuggets thinner behind a starting group they’ll again be counting on heavily.

Bucks

The post-Giannis era isn’t exactly starting with a welcoming committee.

Milwaukee faces a potentially nasty early stretch after trading Giannis Antetokounmpo to Miami and beginning a rebuild around a reshaped roster that includes Tyler Herro.

From Oct. 24 through Nov. 23, the Bucks are scheduled to play 16 games against teams that reached the playoffs in either of the previous two seasons, Tre Allen of Bucks on SI noted.

One particularly unpleasant stretch arrives in November: Toronto on Nov. 6, Boston on Nov. 8, at defending champion New York on Nov. 10, the Lakers on Nov. 11 and at Orlando on Nov. 13.

For a team trying to figure out what it is without Antetokounmpo, the schedule may provide an answer fairly quickly.