There Will Be Bledsoe

Imagine if Russell Westbrook was drafted by a team with Chris Paul. Imagine he had to earn his minutes. Imagine he spent a lockout shortened 66-game season and then an entire offseason learning to imitate how Paul plays. Now close your eyes and imagine the type of player he would be. When you open them up, go ahead and Google Eric Bledsoe.

While he's been dubbed "baby Lebron" by no less than Lebron James himself, Bledsoe really is more like a mini-Westbrook with his zest for playing, his energy, his hops, and his high flying acrobatics.

But beyond the highlight reel plays (like last night’s facial block at the rim on a Dwyane Wade dunk attempt), Bledsoe has taken a quantum leap forward in his development in his third season. He’s always had the athleticism, but this year, he’s added a ton of thought to his game. And it absolutely shows.

His first two seasons in the league, Bledsoe was a blur of energy much like Westbrook. He’d have highlight dunks, lighting quick steals, and rundown blocked shots, but he would also make terrible decisions, oftentimes compounding them with a foul in his attempt to rectify the situation.

At 6-1, Bledsoe’s athleticism and unusually long arms allow him to play bigger than he is.

His speed, hops and length also make him an excellent defender—his best asset and one that has been criminally underreported as a key component to why the Clippers have been so successful this season.


Only checking in 18 minutes a game has allowed him to play at full throttle when he’s on the court. And while he is still a blur of energy, that energy is focused and under control.

The beauty of Paul’s game is that he mixes superior skills with superior savvy and every once in a while will utilize his above average quickness and strength. The knee injury has forced Paul to modify his game in that regard.

Bledsoe still has his elite athleticism and has been picking up the more subtle nuances of point guardsmanship from the best in the business. Watch as Bledsoe breaks down his man and gets into the key. Before, he would burst directly towards the basket and try to make an athletic play at the rim. Now, he does the Paul thing by slowing up, feeling the defender on his back, keeping his dribble and probe, probe, probe, before finding a seam in the defense and attacking.

He also has adopted the Paul layup, in which he holds the ball out in front of him to keep it away from a trailing defender, before scooping it in. He's also developing a Paul-esque ability to hit big shots in big moments and carry the team when it is stagnant—like how he scored eight straight points to open the final quarter last night against the Heat.

To be sure, there are still plenty of moments where Bledsoe remains overly aggressive (usually it comes after he’s made a couple of plays in a row and visibly gets excited), but he has been much better about picking his spots and has on many occasions this season, pulled the ball back out or slowed everyone down to set up a play.

I’m not a huge fan of PER, but Bledsoe has doubled his PER from last year. It’s the sixth best amongst point guards, two spots behind Paul and nine spots ahead of Westbrook. Bledsoe is shooting nearly 50 percent from the field and while he still not an elite passer, he has become automatic from the freethrow line (85 percent).

The Clippers have been so good this year with wins over the three best teams in the league—Grizzlies, Spurs, Thunder—because they don’t lose much when they bring in their bench unit. Most importantly, they don’t lose much when Paul goes to the bench. How many other teams have the luxury of having a stud point guard come into the game when their best player exits? And even if there are other teams with that luxury (Toronto comes to mind), how many of those subs can routinely outplay the star?!

While Jamal Crawford has enjoyed most of the pub for leading the team in scoring off the bench, Bledsoe is clearly the backbone to the second unit. Without him, Crawford doesn’t have the freedom or spacing to shoot to his heart’s content. Without Bledsoe, the defensive unit suffers with no one able to cover all of the explosive guards in the league. Without Bledsoe, the team lacks anyone other than Paul who can control the tempo of the game.

It’s early yet. Long way to go and many more games to be played. But in the early going, Eric Bledsoe just might be the key to unlocking the Clippers Championship potential.