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NBA Power Rankings: All 30 Starting Shooting Guards

By Shane Young

January 17, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade (3) guards Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant (24) in the second half of the game at the Staples Center. Heat won 99-90. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
January 17, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade (3) guards Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant (24) in the second half of the game at the Staples Center. Heat won 99-90. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /
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NBA Power Rankings
Apr 12, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe (2) drives to the basket past Dallas Mavericks center Samuel Dalembert (1) and guard Vince Carter (25) during the first half at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

5.  Eric Bledsoe — Phoenix Suns

I’ll tell you from an in-state perspective, Bledsoe wasn’t nearly this type of player during his college years at Kentucky.  There wasn’t a moment where Kentucky supporters would even look at Bledsoe and predict a successful future closely similar to former teammates John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins.

Sure, you knew his whiplash speed and unearthly athleticism would keep him in the league as a backup, but playing at a PER of 19.62 and averaging 17.7 points per game wasn’t in our wildest dreams.

Bledsoe remains a restricted free agent by the Phoenix Suns to this date.  He believed he was worth more than the four-year, $48 million offer they pitched to him, and his future in the desert is questionable.  However, for both parties’ sake, Philadelphia is one of the only teams with cap space available to sign him for what he wants, and that’s not a desirable location for a player that wants to win.

But, does the former Clipper backup want to become a winner on a playoff team, or be the focal point in a depressed city so that he can rack up all the numbers he can?

Based on his unselfish play with Goran Dragic last season and how proficient he was from the field to give the Suns a playoff push, I’ll say he’s ready to win.  Wall and Cousins are just now turning the corner with that attitude as well, so maybe it’s a four-year thing.  By the time you’re in your fourth season as a pro, the feeling out process is over.

Bledsoe has been deemed as a fearless rim attacker, and he plays with more tenacious fire than any other guard above him on the list.

Being a point guard in size and height, playing with Dragic has made him realize he can work in unison with another ball-dominant guard, giving him advantages across the board.  If he sticks with Phoenix for at least another year, you’ll have the Suns right back where they hope to be, and that’s down to the wire for a final postseason spot.

The meniscus tear was too much to deal with, and Dallas wouldn’t have squeezed into the No. 8 spot had he played more than 43 games.