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Phoenix Suns: Who Will Be The Next Player To Enter The Ring Of Honor?

By Gerald Bourguet

Dec 23, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Dallas Mavericks center Tyson Chandler (6) drives to the basket against Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe (2) and center Alex Len (21) at US Airways Center. The Suns defeated the Mavericks 124-115. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 23, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Dallas Mavericks center Tyson Chandler (6) drives to the basket against Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe (2) and center Alex Len (21) at US Airways Center. The Suns defeated the Mavericks 124-115. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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April 2, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe (2) looks on during the third quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Suns 107-106. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Eric Bledsoe

Why He’ll Make It: I know, I know. The perception that Eric Bledsoe has already reached his peak is not unheard of in the Valley. Though he’s only 25 years old, Bledsoe largely failed to step up as a leader once he was handed the keys to the franchise with the departures of Goran Dragic and Isaiah Thomas.

But before you go putting a ceiling on Bledsoe’s game, consider that through two seasons with the Suns, he’s posted averages of 17.3 points, 5.9 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game. That’s not a bad foundation to build upon over the next four years.

Bledsoe will never be the best player on a championship team. But if Phoenix is able to land a star during Bledsoe’s prime, he could easily be a two-way force that strengthens a title contender. He’s athletic enough, he’s defensively skilled enough and if he can cut back on his turnovers and make a few more threes, he’s still got plenty of years to work his way into this conversation.

Why He Won’t Make It: Then again, there’s also the possibility that Bledsoe really has reached his full potential already, which actually isn’t a knock on his game. After all, there are only so many guys in the league who put up a 17-6-5 stat line like Bledsoe did last season; LeBron James, James Harden and Russell Westbrook were the others.

It might be unrealistic to expect him to drastically improve his numbers from an already solid base. Still, well-balanced numbers alone aren’t enough to get someone in the Suns Ring of Honor. Playoff success needs to come with the statistics.

On that front, the 2015-16 season will be Bledsoe’s first hurdle. He wasn’t able to make the postseason in either of the first two seasons he’s been in Phoenix; the first year due to his knee injury, the second due to Dragic’s departure and a general roster blowup. To put himself on course for this honor, he’ll have to start being an instrumental part of a playoff team’s success.

Next: No. 2

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