Jamal Crawford Says Eric Bledsoe Will Become a Star

According to former LA Clippers teammate Jamal Crawford, Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe is undoubtedly on the verge of NBA stardom. Per HoopsWorld: “During his stint with the Clippers, Bledsoe was playing behind arguably the best point guard in the NBA in Chris Paul. Although this cut into the young point guard’s minutes, it was clearly the best thing for his game. He wasn’t ready to be a starter early in his career anyway, and he was essentially going through Point Guard 101 with Paul and Chauncey Billups – two of the best professors around for said course. Bledsoe grew up watching Paul and Billups and he would often say that it was ‘a blessing’ to be in the same locker room as those guys. Paul trained with Bledsoe individually last offseason and had his young back-up work at his basketball camp. During the season, he was constantly in Bledsoe’s ear, giving him advice and words of encouragement. Billups was just as helpful for Bledsoe. He would break down film with Bledsoe before nearly every game and served as an extension of the Clippers’ coaching staff. In addition to teaching Bledsoe about being an elite point guard, Paul and Billups were teaching him how to lead a team. Bledsoe admits that both players’ leadership style ‘rubbed off’ on him as a result of their teachings. The question is: How good will Bledsoe be now that he has an opportunity to put all of those lessons to use and take over his own team in Phoenix? […] In Phoenix, where he’ll be asked to do much more and have the ball in his hands more often, his numbers are expected to increase significantly. He’s already being talked about as a candidate for the Most Improved Player award and all eyes will be on him to see how he performs. […] Jamal Crawford, who played alongside Bledsoe last season in Los Angeles and raves about his incredible growth, believes that the young point guard is poised for big things. ‘He’ll be a star, no question,’ Crawford said of Bledsoe. ‘The guidance and tutelage from Chris and Chauncey and Mo Williams, who was here before, only made him better as a point guard. He’ll definitely be a star. I don’t know when because everybody’s [learning] curve is a little bit different, but there’s no question he’ll be a star. He has the athletic ability and he wants to get better. He has gotten better. A team like that in Phoenix, they’re going to see great results. I think he’ll be exciting to watch too. He was a joy to play with and his growth last year was tremendous. You never want somebody to get hurt, but when Chris went down, Bledsoe stepped in and he did a heck of a job.'”