Eric Bledsoe led the Suns past the Rockets 97-88 last night with 20 points, 7 assists, 3 rebounds, a steal and a block.
The patient guard who served as Chris Paul’s understudy with the Clippers, was dealt to Phoenix in July as part of a 3-team deal. The experience taught Bledsoe not only patience, but the importance of being consistent. The time spent in Paul’s shadow gave him the opportunity to learn at his own pace.
“It definitely helps me out now because a lot of guys who get to start real early, it’ll take them a while,” Bledsoe said. “Some of them will blossom in a certain time. But for me, I think I was in a better situation learning.”
Scott Howard-Cooper from nba.com’s Hang Time Blog:
The result is Bledsoe at the forefront of the Suns going from a wave of preseason predictions as the worst team in the Western Conference amid major reconstruction to the actual of the 9-9 record. He is breaking down defenses to get to the rim and average a team-leading 18.8 points along with 5.8 assists while shooting 49 percent in 33.4 minutes, after 19.6 minutes as a Clipper. That’s impressive.
Bledsoe has learned to slow the game down and to run the offense.
“People really didn’t know that I can play the point. They thought I was a two-guard who wanted to shoot the ball every time. Now, you can just tell I’ll do everything to win the game. Rebound, passing, everything. It definitely came out.”
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