Goran Dragic played some of his best basketball when Eric Bledsoe was out of the lineup.
No one took that as a sign that the Suns were better off without both guards. Dragic was simply stepping up – and then some – when the Suns needed to fill in that missing production.
With Bledsoe back, Dragic is finding it a lot easier to do what he’s been doing, as have the Suns as a whole. The Slovenian playmaker has shaved off five percent from the “unassisted field goals made” category, meaning he’s having to work less to create his own shot and is thriving a little bit more off the ball.
This is especially true when it comes to spot-up shooting. During the two-and-a-half month stretch without Bledsoe, Dragic hit 11-of-21 from on corner three-pointers.
Since his teammate’s return, Dragic is 5-for-6 from the corners thanks to opportunities like the one found at the 1:02 mark of the this video:
That may seem like a small sample size, but consider this: the 21 corner treys attempts without Bledsoe occurred in a 33-game span (0.6 corner threes per game). The recent 5-for-6 stretch is over an eight-game period (0.8).
So not only is Dragic getting more open looks in the corners with Bledsoe on the court, he’s also converting them at a ridulously higher rate (83.3 percent compared to 52.4).
And if the stats aren’t enough proof, just take Dragic’s word for it.
“Before [Bledsoe], I was taking tough shots, having to create my own shots,” he said. “Now I’m just spotting up. When I get the ball, the percentage is way up when you’re set in your shot and you just shoot it.”