Can Eric Bledsoe Become A Leader For The Phoenix Suns?

Bledsoe’s Big Summer

Through exit interviews and summer press conferences, general manager Ryan McDonough, head coach Jeff Hornacek, Brandon Knight and even Bledsoe himself all acknowledged that Eric Bledsoe is not the most vocal player out there. And they all seemed okay with that fact. Not every player can be LeBron James in the locker room or in the huddle.

But for a player so talented and so dynamic, Bledsoe’s lack of resonance with the fans is a further testament to the franchise’s void when it comes to a leader who can put butts in the seats. Goran Dragic‘s departure may have left a sour taste in everyone’s mouths, but there were a few seasons when that “successor to Steve Nash” label didn’t seem so outlandish.

Eric Bledsoe has always cooperated with the media, but his soft-spoken (and sometimes less than articulate) nature may have prevented him from truly connecting with fans. Fortunately, a summer of letting his actions speak louder than words ever could has displayed some of the leadership qualities the fans have been yearning to see.

For starters, Bledsoe frequently attended pre-draft workouts and was often seen working on his ball handling when there was enough space on the court for him to do so. When he had the gym to himself, Bledsoe was seen working on his chemistry with Alex Len, another player who’s reportedly been a Phoenix gym rat this summer:

Remember how shooting was one of the biggest knocks against Bledsoe’s game? The young guard seems to be well aware of that, making it one of his biggest areas for improvement to target. Working on the pick-and-roll with Len will only help the Suns since those two are unequivocally a huge part of the team’s foundation moving forward.

(If Len can truly develop into a stretch big, that pick-and-roll chemistry could be huge. Not only would the Suns benefit from Bledsoe cutting down on turnovers in screen reads, but if Len can spread the floor as a pick-and-pop situation down the road, that tandem will be a much more potent threat on offense.)

Bledsoe’s commitment to stepping up as a leader doesn’t just include his hard work in the gym, however. Last year, Bledsoe spent the summer back home in Birmingham as he and the front office struggled to arrive at a contract extension that suited both sides. This year, Bledsoe has put an emphasis on not only working out every day in Phoenix, but also on being a consistent presence at all of the team’s summer events.

It may not seem like much for Bledsoe to be showing up to NBA Summer League games. After all, Summer League does take place in Las Vegas, so we can only paint him as so much of a hero. But look around the league and you’ll see each team’s respective leaders supporting their new/younger teammates in these developmental games.

This year, Eric Bledsoe was that player.

Bledsoe’s been just as present behind the scenes too. When Phoenix drafted Devin Booker back in June, Bledsoe was the first teammate the Suns rookie heard from — letting Booker know that they had a special backpack waiting for him (most likely Dora the Explorer or Hello Kitty themed).

When the Suns attempted to woo LaMarcus Aldridge with their free agency pitch, Bledsoe joined Brandon Knight and Tyson Chandler in the players’ portion of the meeting.

With an eloquent guy like Knight and a smart, veteran presence like Chandler, why would the Suns allow the soft-spoken Bledsoe to sit in on the meeting? Because he’s a foundational piece of this core at least, and the team’s best player at best.

Again, this kind of rookie hazing and inclusion on free agency meetings may not seem like much, but it actually means a great deal that he’s establishing himself as a welcoming presence to the younger players and that he’s being touted as a main selling point for prospective free agents.

And as if that weren’t enough, Bledsoe even worked on connecting with Suns fans on a deeper level by posting a selfie of himself in a Kevin Johnson throwback jersey. You want to get Suns fans to like you? You can’t do much better than paying tribute to one of the franchise’s greatest players and sporting the best jersey Phoenix has ever worn:

Next: Leading By Example