A career-high scoring performance from Eric Bledsoe Sunday night in Toronto continues an excellent January and has made him a must start player in FanDuel NBA leagues.
The flip of a calendar has morphed Phoenix guard Eric Bledsoe from a very good point guard to an elite prospect in FanDuel NBA lineups.
The Suns have played 10 games this month, with Bledsoe posting averages of 24 points, 8.4 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game, elevating him to the 16th most productive player FanDuel NBA leagues have to offer.
Only five point guards: Damian Lillard, Kyle Lowry, John Wall, Russell Westbrook and James Harden, are averaging more FanDuel NBA tournament points per game than the 37.1 points Bledsoe is totaling on a nightly basis.
Bledsoe is in the midst of his best season, logging career-highs in scoring (20.9 points per game) and assists (6.1), he has really taken command of the offense this month.
The Suns are scoring 124 points per 100 possessions this month with Bledsoe on the court, a 10-point increase from December and 20 more than in October.
Sunday against the Raptors, Bledsoe was masterful, scoring or assisting on 71 of the 115 points scored by Phoenix, accounting for 62 percent of the offense.
The 6-foot-1 guard, nicknamed Mini-LeBron according to Basketball-Reference, poured in a career-high 40 points as he connected on 11-of-17 attempts from the field and sank each of his 14 attempts at the foul line.
Along with the lofty scoring total, Bledsoe dished out a season-high 13 assists, becoming just the fourth Suns player since 1983-84 to compile at least 40 points and 10 assists in a game.
Career-high 40 points, 13 assists & 6 rebounds for @EBled2 in @Suns victory up North. #WeArePHX pic.twitter.com/tuvDN6VfQN
— NBA (@NBA) January 23, 2017
Much of Bledsoe’s success is predicated on his ability to attack the basket. Bledsoe drives to the rim 11.3 times a game, fourth most in the league, generating points 70.7 percent of the time. Bledsoe’s ability to slash to the rim paves the way to 8.0 points and 1.0 assists a night, 38.2 percent of his scoring total and 16.1 percent of his total assists.
The Suns have one of the most dynamic backcourts in the league, as Bledsoe and second-year shooting guard Devin Booker have become a formidable combination.
Over 30 percent of Bledsoe’s total passes are to Booker, leading to nearly one made three-point field goal each night and a total of 1.6 assists per game.
With Bledsoe and Booker clicking offensively, the duo has helped Phoenix close out opponents in the fourth quarter in each of the last two games defensively.
The Suns escaped with a win in New York Saturday night by holding the Knicks to 15 points on 31.6 percent shooting in the fourth quarter. Sunday against the Raptors, they were even better, limiting the Raptors to 18 points on 26.3 percent shooting from the field.
With Bledsoe in complete control of the Suns on both ends of the floor, he has become an elite FanDuel NBA roster option in January.