Eric Bledsoe's Superstar Evolution Will Be Critical to Phoenix Suns' Future

The Phoenix Suns will head into next season with renewed expectations and armed with a budding superstar in Eric Bledsoe.

And make no bones about it, Phoenix desperately needs its starting point guard to become something truly special. After all, management paid $70 million for big-time results last summer when they re-signed Bledsoe to a five-year deal.

But then came another perplexing season for a team that has long searched for answers. The Suns missed the playoffs for the fifth straight season and traded away five players in the process, including Goran Dragic and Isaiah Thomas—Bledsoe's partners in a high-octane but sometimes problematic three-point-guard experiment.

Matt York/Associated Press

And just like that, the bright hopes that had emerged after head coach Jeff Hornacek was hired two years ago dimmed substantially.

It’s not fair to heap blame on Hornacek or Bledsoe or any other single player. The Suns roster has been in a perpetual state of reshuffling for years now.

And to be fair, Bledsoe's overall stat line of 17 points, 5.2 boards, 6.1 dimes and 1.6 steals per game this season is nothing to be sneezed at.

Nonetheless, the fifth-year man out of Kentucky didn’t quite live up to expectations in his first full campaign as a starter, and he admitted as much in March, per Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. 

"Even though I feel like I didn't have a better year than last year, when you look at the numbers and whatnot, you could say it's the same or a little bit better," Bledsoe said. "But as a player, you want to take that next step. I don't feel like it, not at all. It just feels different.”

One positive change was that Bledsoe remained healthy after right knee surgery that caused him to miss 39 games the previous season. But there were other differences as well—the guard-heavy rotation was faltering, the losses were mounting and Dragic would soon be a free agent.

Therefore, management blew the whole thing up.

It is not only roster restructuring, but front office volatility that has characterized the Suns during the post-Mike D’Antoni era, with a parade of coaches and key executive personnel under owner Robert Sarver.

However, the merry-go-round is part of the modern NBA era, and its only remedy is success. Bledsoe now has a clear path ahead and a mandate to help lead this team back into contention in the ultra-competitive Western Conference.

Bledsoe was chosen by the Oklahoma City Thunder as the 18th overall selection in 2010 and was immediately traded to the Los Angles Angeles Clippers for a future first-round pick. He spent his first three seasons in L.A. playing mostly in backup role, first to Baron Davis and then to Chris Paul.

Those early years provided a preview of speed, potential and high-flying jams. In fact, his third season was highlighted by an appearance at the 2013 All-Star Sprite Slam Dunk Contest.

There were also opportunities to showcase his game more fully, including 25 games as a starter in place of an injured Davis during Bledsoe’s rookie season, and 12 starts in 2012-13.

Despite the progress, the Clippers traded Bledsoe to the Suns that summer. And for an intriguing young prospect who was stuck as CP3’s backup, the change of scenery brought a new status—as a legitimate starter in the NBA.

During 41 games in his injury-shortened first season in Phoenix, Bledsoe took a quantum leap forward, averaging 17.7 points and 5.5 assists in 32.9 minutes per game. This, compared to 8.5 points and 3.1 assists in 20.4 minutes during his final year in Los Angeles.

The accelerated growth motivated the Suns to go all-in with a hefty new contract. But the learning curve flattened this season—Bledsoe’s numbers remained essentially the same as the year before, despite the opportunity to showcase his talents through 81 appearances and a career-high 34.6 minutes per game.

2010-11 LAC	22.7 MPG	.276 3P%	2.8 RBD	3.6 AST	6.7 PTS
2011-12 LAC	11.6 MPG	.200 3P%	1.6 RBD	1.7 AST	3.3 PTS
2012-13 LAC	20.4 MPG	.397 3P%	3.0 RBD	3.1 AST	8.5 PTS
2013-14 PHO	32.9 MPG	.357 3P%	4.7 RBD	5.5 AST	17.7 PTS
2014-15 PHO	34.6 MPG	.324 3P%	5.2 RBD	6.1 AST	17.0 PTS

Jim Coughenour of SB Nation’s Bright Side of the Sun noted Bledsoe's lack of improvement when he assigned him a “C” grade for his 2014-15 report cards. Coughenour honed in on the guard’s inability to ratchet his game up to a new level after the Dragic trade.

“In the 28 games post All-Star break, Bledsoe averaged 16.6 points, 6.1 assists and 5.3 rebounds…basically his exact same production as before the break,” Coughenour wrote.  “Given the opportunity to take the team on his back and carry them down the stretch Eric wilted. Or at least completely squandered the opportunity.”

So where does Bledsoe’s evolution go from here? For starters, he has to improve his shooting stroke—his 32.4 percent conversion rate from beyond the arc this season ranks him 34th among qualified point guards and 129th among all qualified players. That’s pretty shabby for a guy who has been handed the keys to the kingdom.

Hopefully, better results will come from intensive schooling by Hornacek—one of the game’s legendary shot-makers who sunk a lifetime 40.3 percent from long range.

Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press

Bledsoe also has a tendency to play too fast and loose with the ball, turning the rock over 3.4 times per game last season. That gives him the dubious distinction of the fourth-slipperiest handle in the league among qualified point guards.

But despite the needed areas of improvement, there is still every sign that a still-young player can justify the faith shown in him by Sarver and general manager Ryan McDonough.

This is an organization that will have the 13th pick in the draft and money to spend during the offseason. There is also a decision to make regarding how much to spend in order to hold onto Brandon Knight—the restricted free-agent guard who was acquired from the Milwaukee Bucks at the trade deadline.

Knight was brought in to provide backcourt chemistry alongside Bledsoe—two former Wildcats who still have their peak years ahead of them.

John Raoux/Associated Press

But ultimately, one man's superstar evolution can’t be reliant on coaching or player partnerships, or even measured by terms of an investment.

The great players find it within themselves to rise above all challenges—it’s a matter of desire, dedication and competitive fire.

The Suns will try to find their mojo in the West again next season, and Eric Bledsoe has to lead the way.

His team's future depends on it.