Phoenix Suns: 5 Takeaways From 2016-17 Media Day

3. Bledsoe, Dudley Playing The Role Of Leader

Last season, Tyson Chandler was given the impossible task of being a lone veteran leader in a locker room full of youth and discord. This season, he’ll have some help in the form of Jared Dudley, Eric Bledsoe and Leandro Barbosa.

For Dudley, his status as a former fan favorite and his role as a veteran leader with the Milwaukee Bucks and Washington Wizards makes him a natural fit to shepherd these rising Suns into the next era.

"“You’ll see me talking to these kids the whole time, to the point where they might tell me to shut up,” Dudley said. “You try to ingrain into them the first three or four months where you kind of get on their nerves hard, break it down and then second half, you let them play because they’ve learned it all.”"

From giving on-court advice to helping build team chemistry by making sure there aren’t any cliques on the roster off the court, Dudley will be a tremendous help to guys like Chandler, Barbosa and P.J. Tucker in the locker room.

Of course, Dudley isn’t the only person stepping up as a leader for the Suns. Bledsoe, who many Suns fans have been waiting on to step up as a team leader because he’s Phoenix’s best player, has taken steps in that regard over the last two offseasons.

In addition to organizing summer workouts, singing his teammates’ praises left and right at the podium, and getting everyone on the same page entering the season, Bledsoe’s involvement in anything and everything Phoenix-related has been an example for everyone else.

“I think Eric’s set the tone for our group in a lot of ways with his commitment,” McDonough said. “He’s put down roots here, his family’s here, he’s doing a lot in the community.”

Averaging 20.4 points, 6.1 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game last season, Bledsoe was on pace for a true breakout season before his meniscus injury. Heading into 2016-17, Bledsoe has a chance to put together a healthy season and shed the injury-prone label, but he also has the opportunity to lead this young team in a way he never has before.