Phoenix Suns: 5 goals for Eric Bledsoe in 2017-18

3. Cut down on turnovers

For all his two-way prowess, Eric Bledsoe is one of the most turnover-prone guards in the league. His 3.4 turnovers per game were the seventh-most in the NBA last year, and with the exception of DeMarcus Cousins and Joel Embiid — two bigs — every player who averaged more giveaways also put up way more assists and boasted a much higher usage percentage.

John Wall, LeBron James, James Harden and Russell Westbrook — the four other players who committed more turnovers per game — can be forgiven for their high turnover rates because of everything else they do on the court as franchise superstars. Bledsoe isn’t on that level, and his 1.87 assist-to-turnover ranked 31st among all guards who started at least 50 games last year.

Bledsoe’s 224 turnovers in 2016-17 were the 10th-most in the league, and had he played all 82 games, he would’ve been on pace to finish with the fifth-most — trailing only Harden, Westbrook, Wall and LeBron once again.

This is nothing new. Since joining Phoenix, Bledsoe has averaged 3.3, 3.4, 3.5 and 3.4 turnovers per game in his four seasons. But if the Suns are going to improve from last year’s awful ranks in turnovers (27th), assist percentage (29th), assist-to-turnover ratio (30th) and turnover percentage (25th), it starts with the team’s floor general taking better care of the rock.