PHOENIX, AZ – MARCH 28: Eric Bledsoe #2 of the Phoenix Suns during the NBA game against the New York Knicks at US Airways Center on March 28, 2014 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns defeated the Knicks 112-88. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Another Phoenix Suns season has come to a close, prematurely once more. Time to debrief and recap how all 14 players currently on the team’s roster fared during the 2014/15 season. This is The Good, the Bad and the Ugly on Eric Bledsoe
2014/15 Phoenix Stats: 81 games, 34.6 mpg, 17.0 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 6.1 apg, 1.6 spg, 0.6 bpg, 3.4 topg, 2.3 PF/game, 44.7% FG, 32.4 % 3Pts, 80.0% FT
(bolded stats indicate team leader)
Contract Status: $13,086,957 for 15/16, $14,000,001 in 16/17, $14,913,045 in 17/18, $15,826,089 in 18/19
The Good
– led the team in most offensive categories
– among league leaders in minutes, free throws, assists, steals
– stayed healthy and played over 2000 minutes for the first time in his career
– great rebounder for a point guard
– efficient scorer – 17 points on only 13 shots
– capable of big scoring nights – three games over 30 points
– explosive, powerful guard
– a stat-sheet stuffer
– only 25 – just entering his prime
– contract might look like a steal once the salary cap jumps up (and if he blossoms into a star)
The Bad
– fourth most turnovers in the league
– 10 technical fouls on the season – 8th most in the NBA
– never became the star the team was hoping he’d become
– also didn’t become a leader the team desperately needed
– on a championship-level team, he’s probably the fourth option at best (just look at the past two champs, Miami and San Antonio)
The Ugly
– played worse once team traded away it’s other point guards (Goran Dragic, Isaiah Thomas)
Conclusion
The Eric Bledsoe era in Phoenix has gotten off to an inauspicious start. Once Goran Dragic was traded away at the deadline, the Bledsoe era officially began, and he dropped the ball. While he is an exciting, versatile player, the fear here is that he’s never going to become the superstar that many foresaw him to be. A nice complementary player, but not a player you build a championship team around.
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