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