Earlier this month the question, “which NBA team has the best backcourt?” floated around the interwebs like a secret Beyonce single.
On Wednesday, the Phoenix Suns put that question to bed when they reached an agreement on a five-year contract with Eric Bledsoe.
With Bledsoe officially back in the fold and the addition of Isaiah Thomas to go along with the league’s Most Improved Player, in Goran Dragic, the Suns’ backcourt is the second deepest thing in Arizona just behind the Grand Canyon. In fact, I’m just going to say it: the Suns are now home to the Point Guard-ans of the Galaxy.
Think about it. You’ve got Bledsoe, the strong silent type, a king-sized amount of muscle in a fun-sized package much in the way Drax is in the film. Thomas is a guy who has a chip on his shoulder due to his stature and an internal fire that drives him helping him always comes up big like Rocket. Not to mention the unassuming and jovial Goran Dragic, who can be deadly at the drop of a hat like Quill.
Sure, they won’t rid the universe of its problems, but they’ll ensure that the NBA’s universe is devoid of boring basketball when they’re on the floor with their breakneck speed and unique brand of hoops.
Getting to Know Eric Bledsoe
At any given time during the course of a 48-minute game, the team will have two of the best guards in the game on the court. It was a luxury that Coach Jeff Hornacek didn’t have in his first year. Despite his offense revolving around two elite guards leading the charge, injuries prohibited him from having that for almost half the season.
When Hornacek had both Dragic and Bledsoe in the starting lineup last season, the Suns had a .676 winning percentage. Now add in a guard who averaged over 20 points and 6 assists a game in Thomas coming off the bench and you have a potentially explosive lineup. The signing also acts as a safety net against injury ensuring if any one guard is out there are still two great ones left to start.
Like the old saying goes, iron sharpens iron. That’s exactly what the Suns new backcourt mates will do. They’ll force each other to get better every day and put opponents in the odd situation of preparing for three different guards with all-star potential every night.
Suns President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby and General Manager Ryan McDonough took a position of strength and fortified it. They built upon the winning formula that gave the Suns a 23-game turnaround to assemble one of the best backcourts in the league.
The Point Guard-ians of the Galaxy now call Phoenix home. That should make for one exciting season.