Phoenix Suns believe in 'bright future' for Eric Bledsoe

There are oodles of advanced stats, an overabundance of scouting analyses and a planet of critics and fans to assess where Eric Bledsoe stands as a Suns cornerstone at age 25.

All of that just says what Bledsoe already said — more succinctly — about his first full season as a starter and first year of a five-year, $70 million contract.

"You can pretty much say talent isn't a question," Bledsoe said. "It's just mentally. Mentally, I need to be better."

That is a self-assessment that most could agree upon after seeing Bledsoe in his first major role.

The encouragement starts with Bledsoe's age, on the cusp of most players' NBA prime. He proved more durable, missing only one game this season for the birth of his son. He was among the NBA's top six point guards in rebounds, steals and blocks per game and field-goal percentage.

Bledsoe occasionally found another level to do the spectacular. There was a 34-point game at Houston; a 28-point, 13-rebound, nine-assist, four-block game against Oklahoma City; and two triple-doubles.

"In those games, he looks like one of the best players in the league," Suns General Manager Ryan McDonough said. "The key for him will be seeing how consistent he can be. He certainly has a bright future — 25 years old."

Then there are the areas of concern.

The Suns hope most are cured with maturity, but Bledsoe had the fourth worst assist-to-turnover ratio (1.8 to 1) among full-time starting point guards with a mix of being too determined or too casual. That statistic is especially worrisome because Brandon Knight, Bledsoe's new backcourt mate, was one of the three point guards worse at 1.75 to 1.

Bledsoe does not seem to have the personality of a classic leader. The Suns will look elsewhere for that, internally and by free agency or trades, but they need their playmakers to take better command of the offense.

"A point guard's responsibility is: 'How do I get my guys involved and how I do I make it easier for someone else?' " Suns coach Jeff Hornacek said. "Quite honestly, we had a lot of young guys who are just trying to figure it out themselves. Another common theme from a lot of these guys was, 'Hey, it was my first year of actually playing that many minutes and a lot of times, I was just trying to figure it out myself.'

"When you look back at when we all played, there was that first year that you play all these big minutes. It is a heck of an adjustment of trying to get ready for every game. Your concern is, 'How am I going to make it through this game?' and then once that year is over, that next year is so much easier. And I think that's what will happen next year."

Bledsoe started more games this season (81) than in his first four NBA seasons (78) and logged about twice as many minutes this season as last season. That is quite a feat considering his right knee already has undergone two operations.

Bledsoe continued to be among the game's better finishers at the rim — but made only 32 percent of his shots from three to 10 feet and 35 percent from 10 to 16 feet. Bledsoe improved at the latter mid-range shot after the All-Star break, in frequency and efficacy, but tailed off down the stretch.

Bledsoe has the rare physical and athletic ability to thrive at both ends. He scored while being fouled 47 times this season. He can cover and recover on pick-and-roll defense at an elite level but did not always do it with the intensity needed at the NBA's most talent-laden position.

After one half against Oklahoma City star Russell Westbrook this season, he marveled at halftime to teammates about how hard Westbrook plays.

"It was tough the first three years," Bledsoe said of his seasons as a Los Angeles Clippers backup, including two behind Chris Paul. "Now that I've got the chance and opportunity, I'm going to take advantage of it. I thought I had a great year. Obviously, it wasn't good enough. Next year, I've got to get even better."

Roster changes are ahead for the Suns but Bledsoe never sounds like a candidate to be moved. The Suns talk with optimism about a Bledsoe-Knight pairing for next season to restore the type of attack they used two seasons ago with Bledsoe and Goran Dragic.

"The exciting thing for us about Eric is he's still just starting to scratch the surface of his potential," McDonough said. "Last year (2013-14), he started for half a season and you saw glimpses of it. I think there some questions externally, certainly not from us, but could he do it as a starter, could he do it over the course of an 82-game season? I think he certainly proved he could with the numbers he averaged."

Bledsoe, who had two postseasons with the Clippers, said after the season that he would have trouble watching the playoffs because he was so bothered by not qualifying in Phoenix. That sort of fire is what Suns fans want to see from Bledsoe, whose understated demeanor makes his inner burn hard to read.

His plan to return to Phoenix sooner this year is an encouraging sign. After not being seen or heard from during last year's summer-long free agency standoff, Bledsoe said he would spend more offseason time in Phoenix this year to work with staff and teammates.

"I am going to be 10 times more dedicated," Bledsoe said.