Eric Bledsoe: 2014-15 Phoenix Suns Player Grades

Lowlights:

Bledsoe was consistent for the most part, at least on the stat sheet. He failed to reach double figures in the scoring column only nine times and though his shooting/effort was up and down throughout the year, we was usually a regular source of offense, assists and rebounding.

But he certainly wasn’t perfect, and there were plenty of nights where he just didn’t look like he was interested in competing. On Nov. 9, Bledsoe scored 23 points on 9-of-12 shooting against the Memphis Grizzlies, but his season-high nine turnovers ultimately doomed the Suns to a 102-91 loss.

Ten days later, Bledsoe was utterly embarrassed by his former mentor Chris Paul, finishing with a single point in a blowout loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. He had 10 assists and six boards, but he also shot 0-for-6 from the floor while adding three turnovers.

In perhaps his worst game of the season, Bledsoe finished with four points (2-for-11 shooting) and seven turnovers in a disappointing home loss to the Miami Heat. This was one of the more notable instances where Bledsoe just looked disinterested.

Probably one of Bledsoe’s most depressing games wasn’t even a game in which he played poorly. Against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Feb. 20, Bledsoe finished with 12 points on 4-of-11 shooting to go with seven rebounds and six assists. But since it was the Suns’ first game after the trade deadline, it was Bledsoe’s best opportunity to step up and show the organization he was ready to lead the way.

Instead, in a game in which Brandon Knight sat out, Bledsoe was simply “meh.” Everyone was still shellshocked from all the trades right at the deadline, but Bledsoe failed to step up and set an example for his teammates, resulting in a depressing loss to the worst team in the NBA.

March in particular was a rough month for Bledsoe. On Mar. 19 against the New Orleans Pelicans, he finished with five measly points after going 2-for-15 from the floor. The Suns won the game, but only because Anthony Davis and half of the roster were sidelined.

During March, Bledsoe averaged 4.4 turnovers per game, including a six-game stretch near the beginning of the month in which he racked up a total of 35(!!!) turnovers.

But the worst moment of the season for Eric Bledsoe was undoubtedly Phoenix’s ugly 96-69 defeat at the hands of the Atlanta Hawks on Apr. 7. The Suns’ playoff hopes were all but dead, but this was a moment for Bledsoe to step up as a leader and set an example once again.

Instead, he finished the game with nine points, five assists, five turnovers and one ejection, getting himself tossed after 26 minutes of action because he kicked the scorer’s table and received two technical fouls.

It had just been announced that the Morris twins were being investigated in a felony aggravated assault case, and with all the drama surrounding this team at the time, the Suns needed a positive reminder the situation was not as dire as it seemed. Bledsoe failed on that front in the worst way possible.

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