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Phoenix Suns: Eric Bledsoe Taking Steps Toward Being Elite

By Gerald Bourguet

Oct 31, 2015; Portland, OR, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe (2) celebrates after scoring in the first half of the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. The Suns won 101-90. Mandatory Credit: Godofredo Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 31, 2015; Portland, OR, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe (2) celebrates after scoring in the first half of the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. The Suns won 101-90. Mandatory Credit: Godofredo Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
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Phoenix Suns
Nov 8, 2015; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe (2) drives to the basket against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) during the second quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

Playmaking

It’s not just the career high 6.2 assists per game that serve as a testament to Eric Bledsoe’s improved feel for the game. In almost every facet as the team’s primary ball handler, Bledsoe has displayed an improved sense for when to drive, when to dish and when to pull up operating out of the pick-and-roll.

He’s still committing 3.4 turnovers per game, but a staggering 61 of his 75 field goals have been unassisted. So how exactly is Bledsoe being so efficient as the team’s primary playmaker and scorer? According to Hornacek, his understanding of the game has evolved since last year.

“I think maybe in the past, when you just start to be a starter and you just start to make your way in this league, you’re worried about what you can do,” he said. “He’s past that stage. He’s at the stage where he’s looking at how our play is developing, how can I get my guys a shot and be open? And that’s great. That’s another level that we need from him and I think he’s seeing the game a lot better now.”

Bledsoe has looked comfortable with his perimeter shot, but the most promising part has been his uncanny sense (and accuracy) for pulling up in pick-and-roll situations when the help defense gives him too much room.

Phoenix Suns
Eric Bledsoe’s 2015-16 shot chart through nine games on midrange jump shots, per NBA.com/stats /

“Just his confidence that he has in the game right now when he comes down and comes at you and pulls up for that jump shot, now these guys are gonna have to come start picking him up a little higher and now he’s just gonna drive by them,” Hornacek said.

According to NBA.com, Bledsoe is shooting a stellar 64.3 percent on shots from 15-19 feet and an impressive 7-for-9 (77.8 percent) on shots from 10-15 feet.

Those are small sample sizes, but considering the league averages for such midrange shots are around 39 percent and 40 percent respectively, Bledsoe’s ability to manipulate the defense and make them pay for giving him too much space is hard to overlook.

"“When you get in there and you see all the stuff develop, and you can just make the little push shot from 8-10 feet, that puts a lot of pressure on teams,” Hornacek said after the Nuggets game. “Shot-blockers can line you up if you come full speed and jump off one leg, they can kind of time it. “But when you can get in the lane and stop and head fake, they don’t know when you’re gonna shoot it, and then you just take the little push shot like he did tonight. That’s another weapon that he’s developed and is using.”"

Bledsoe is converting 53.8 percent of his pull-up shots, a shot that has constituted 43 percent of his shot selection this year. He hasn’t been great in catch-and-shoot situations, but with the ball in his hands, the Suns offense is thriving thanks to his ability to attack the basket, pull up for jumpers or find the open man.

Next: Leadership

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