Paola Boivin

azcentral sports

Enlightenment comes in a variety of hues and textures. How appropriate that evidence of Eric Bledsoe’s journey took the shape of a yoga pose on a San Diego beach with the soundtrack of crashing waves.

The Suns guard has reinvented himself. Not in a publicity-monger kind of way but in an “I’m tired of unmet expectations” one. This week, on his own dime, he flew a collection of teammates, including the three Suns 2016 draft picks, to Southern California for a three-day minicamp of beach workouts, pickup games and fun events with the hope of giving the Suns’ 2016-17 season a head start.

“The way the collective bargaining rules work, we’re limited to what we can pay for in the offseason,” Suns General Manager Ryan McDonough said. “So Eric stepped up and said, ‘Hey, for the young guys, the guys who haven’t made a lot of money, I’ll foot the bill, I’ll pay for those guys to come. That’s how important it is for me to lead this team.’ "

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Bledsoe’s maturity is a key piece to making the Suns’ vision of success through young talent work. It is not just about transforming his body and mind but about setting the right tone for an impressionable group of players. Only in the NBA can a 26-year-old be considered a sage veteran, and this is a roster with three potential impact players at 19 and younger.

Bledsoe’s talents have never been in doubt. He was well respected during his one year with Kentucky and three with the Clippers, but also overshadowed by other standout point guards.

He is a quick, strong, aggressive two-way player, and a terrific shooter with a reliable mid-range shot. What has kept him from an elite tag is occasional lapses, particularly away from the ball, and concern about past injuries (a torn meniscus in both knees).

It has hurt him, too, that he is, by nature, shy. Not everyone is wired to be the life of the party or to feel comfortable in front of a microphone. It shouldn’t be used against him. But sometimes his demeanor was confused as a lack of passion, and that is anything but Bledsoe.

Growing up poor in Birmingham, Ala., he was obsessed with the game. He spent many free hours at a nearby recreation center near his home, endlessly playing pickup games until his mom, Maureen Reddick, would drag him out.

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He grew up around a collection of strong female role models, from his mom to several female coaches, and you can hear the respect in his voice when he speaks of them.

He has experienced success and failure during his three seasons with the Suns and in some ways the juxtaposition has served him well. The early victories made him detest the later losses.

And he has been a changed man since his second knee injury, in December, ended his season.

“I remember having a conversation with him,” said Mike Elliott, the Suns’ strength and conditioning coach. “He said, ‘I want to have success here, l want to live here and have this be my home. I want to bring this franchise back to what it used to be.‘

“I don’t know that I’ve been more proud of a player that we’ve had when it comes to development and a professional changing of habits. We’ve had a lot of guys who have done that over the years, but this has been as dramatic (a change) as I’ve seen.”

Bledsoe’s focus on improvement hasn’t been in just one area. He is leaner and stronger and paying more attention to details such as nutrition and sleep, the latter an area than has received more scientific study in the sports world recently.

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Bledsoe used to be guilty of staying up late playing video games and coming to practice sluggish.

“Now he’s in early every day,” Elliott said. “He’s happy, talkative.”

He also has worked hard to be more connected with the community. In May, he organized an impromptu four-mile bike ride, inviting fans on Twitter. Because it seemed out of character for the quiet Bledsoe, some weren’t sure if it was real.

Last week, he stopped by the Suns’ annual youth basketball camp at Thunderbird High. One reason he went, he said, is because he had thoughts about his youth.

“I was that little rug rat,” he said. “But I never had the luxury of meeting an NBA player growing up and I can only imagine how I would have felt if I had met someone I looked up to or had played in the NBA.”

Bledsoe is putting himself out there in a world that doesn’t come easy for him.

And he is taking many of his teammates along for the ride because he said he believes in the organization and its direction. In addition to draft picks Dragan Bender, Marquese Chriss and Tyler Ulis, Suns teammates Devin Booker, Brandon Knight and Alan Williams were in San Diego sharing the experience.

The team clearly believed in him, too, when it signed him to a five-year, $70 million deal in September 2014 that will cover the years NBA players are widely believed to be in their prime.

McDonough is thrilled with what he sees.

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“As soon as the season ended, Eric said, ‘I’m frustrated with how the year went, I’m frustrated I got injured, what do you guys need me to do? What can I do to help?’ " McDonough said. “He’s been unbelievable. Not just good but unbelievable since the season ended, in terms of organizing our group and coming down to Phoenix and working out.”

For Bledsoe, the reason is simple.

“You‘ve got to be committed to the process of where you want to be,” he said. “I’m dedicated to putting the work in.”

If this is the Age of Bledsoe Enlightenment, the Suns are thrilled.

Reach Paola Boivin at paola.boivin@arizparepublic.com and on Twitter at Twitter.com/PaolaBoivin. Listen to her streaming live on “The Brad Cesmat Show” on sports360az.com every Monday at 10:30 a.m.