New Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe thinks backcourt combo will work just fine
Oct 29, 2013, 7:41 PM | Updated: 7:41 pm
As the Phoenix Suns get set to tip off the 2013-14 season, they are facing a considerable amount of questions.
Few are of a positive nature, though, as most expect the team to struggle on a nightly basis.
One area that is less concerning than intriguing is the backcourt, where Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe will share point guard duties.
Can the duo, both talented and undersized, mesh well enough to give the Suns something to build around?
“Two point guards on the team, it makes it easier,” Bledsoe told Jon Bloom and the Phoenix Suns Preseason Special. “Goran is a terrific competitor and so am I, and just to have both of us on the court at the same time…I think it helps.”
Neither Bledsoe nor Dragic are considered to be “traditional” point guards, as each is very adept at scoring along with collecting assists.
Last season, which was Dragic’s first as a full-time starter, saw him average 14.7 points and 7.4 assists per game, though his averages jumped to 16.1 and 9.5 in 26 games after the All-Star break. And Bledsoe, who tallied 8.5 points and 3.1 assists per game coming off the bench for the L.A. Clippers, averaged 14.2 points and 5.3 assists in 12 games as a starter.
Neither is known to be a dead-eye shooter, but the plan is for the two to play off one another.
“Any guard, point guard-wise, is going to try to get in the paint and create for others,” Bledsoe said. “Just as Goran gets the ball and brings it up the court, I’ll space it for him.
“I think it works both ways.”
The Suns will find out if it works — at all — starting Wednesday when they host the Portland Trail Blazers at 7:00 p.m. at US Airways Center.
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