NBA Player Profile: Eric Bledsoe

By Connor Schumock on Monday, February 10th 2014
NBA Player Profile: Eric Bledsoe

Eric Bledsoe is emerging as one of the top young guards in the NBA today.  In the first three seasons of his career he was a role player for the Clippers, and he had to opportunity to learn behind Chris Paul as his backup.

In his first year as a starter, Bledsoe has thrived in Phoenix. Bledsoe has come from very humble beginnings and has succeeded through great controversy.

Bledsoe has made the most of his opportunities and is now set to make some serious money this offseason.

As one of the top up and coming guards in the NBA, Bledsoe has a bright future ahead of him.

 

Early Life

For much of his life Bledsoe has had great struggles. Growing up, Bledsoe’s family was extremely impoverished, and for much of his life Bledsoe and his family was living out of their car. If Bledsoe had one escape it was basketball. He thrived on the court and even though he wasn’t the biggest player, he is stands just over six feet tall, he used his exceptional speed and athleticism to dominate.

His talent on the court continued to grow and was extremely evident in his senior season in high school in which he averaged 20 points, nine rebounds, and 11 assists. He also led his high school, Parker High, to the Alabama 5A state championship.

Despite his lack of size, Bledsoe had incredible measurements, including as 78 inch wingspan and a 40 inch vertical. He also made for his lack of height with consistent hustle. Bledsoe’s hard work earned him national attention. Following his senior year, Bledsoe was ranked as one of the top point guard prospects and a top-twenty five player overall.

Despite fielding offers from his hometown school of Alabama, as well as many other SEC powerhouses, Bledsoe eventually to play at the University of Kentucky.

 

College Career

Bledsoe was one of the top rated point guard prospects in the country, however; Kentucky also signed John Wall, another elite point guard. With the addition of Wall, Bledsoe was forced to play the shooting guard position, something unfamiliar to him.

There were also two other very successful players on the Kentucky team; both DeMarcus Cousins and Patrick Patterson were efficient scorers. Although the Wildcats achieved some great success, Bledsoe struggled with his new role on the team.

Bledsoe began settling for too many jump shots, and he seemed to shoot whenever he got the ball. These bad habits caused Bledsoe’s draft value to drop. The fact that he was playing the off-guard also hurt his value, as he excels when he can operate with the ball in his hands.

Before the start of his college career, reports surfaced that Bledsoe may be ineligible to play at Kentucky. The Alabama Public School Administration hired attorneys, and claimed that one of Bledsoe’s grades was changed.

These changes would have made it so that Bledsoe would have been ineligible given NCAA requirements. However, NCAA investigators could not find enough credible evidence to prove changes were made, allowing Bledsoe to be eligible to play his freshman season.

The Wildcats were wildly successful in the 2010 season, winning a total of 35 games. Bledsoe’s teammate Wall, won the National Player of the Year Award. While Bledsoe didn’t have the amount of success expected, he decided to declare for the NBA draft, forgoing his final three years of eligibility.

 

NBA Career

In college, Bledsoe was unable to display his true talents, but Bledsoe’s skills and potential were great enough to get him drafted in the first round of the 2010 NBA Draft. Eric was selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the 18th overall pick, however; he was traded to the Clippers before he could ever play a game.

In his rookie season, Bledsoe averaged 23 minutes per game and started 25 games. He and Baron Davis split time as the Clippers starting point guard. While the Clippers didn’t achieve much success, Bledsoe played very well and averaged seven points, three rebounds, and three assists per game.

In his second season, the Clippers acquisition of star point guard Chris Paul cut into Bledsoe’s playing time.

Bledsoe’s minutes were cut in half for his sophomore season, and his production suffered as a result. In his third and final season with the Clippers, Bledsoe was able to earn more playing time, and achieved career highs in nearly every statistical category. 

In the offseason before the 2013 season, Bledsoe was traded to the Phoenix Suns.

The Suns have a very solid point guard in Goran Dragic and many people were uncertain of what Bledsoe’s role would be.

The Suns elected to start both Bledsoe and Dragic, resulting in an undersized, but an extremely effective backcourt. Bledsoe exploded on the scene as a starter and is currently averaging 18 points, six assists, and four rebounds per game.

 

Unfortunately, Bledsoe suffered an injury to his meniscus earlier this season, sidelining him until after the All-Star break. The damage required a piece of meniscus to be removed from Bledsoe’s knee, raising concerns over his long-term health.

Bledsoe is set to be a restricted free agent this summer, and is expected to warrant a major contract. Whether he resigns with the Suns, or signs elsewhere, Bledsoe will have a bright future ahead of him as one of the NBA’s most versatile guards.

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