Eric Bledsoe is getting anxious. Could you blame him?
After bursting out of the starting gate last season to the tune of career-high numbers in points, assists and steals, the Suns guard suffered a torn left meniscus on Dec. 26 and was subsequently sidelined the remainder of the year.
Since undergoing surgery to repair the knee, Bledsoe has quietly rehabbed behind the scenes with the goal of being 100 percent healthy for the start of training camp this fall. He has already begun participating in basketball activities.
“Doing great, man,” Bledsoe recently told 12News.com. “I feel like I should be doing more, but it’ll be a long season next year, so right now I’m just preparing my body.”
Bledsoe, of course, is no stranger to the rigors of recovery. The 26-year-old previously sustained a torn meniscus in his right knee in 2011 before having the same meniscus removed in January of 2014. Following the latter operation, Bledsoe went on to appear in 81 games the ensuing season and averaged 17 points, 6.1 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game.
“I’ve been in worse situations, so that’s why you always see me smiling. I know there are better days ahead.”
— Eric Bledsoe
“I’ve been through it before, so I know what to expect,” Bledsoe said. “I’ve been in worse situations, so that’s why you always see me smiling. I know there are better days ahead.”
In the same interview, Bledsoe later credited his positive attitude and tireless work ethic to his mother, who raised him and his two siblings as a single parent working two jobs.
“That’s my role model,” Bledsoe said. “She’s been through so much. As a kid, you don’t know what’s going on at the time. But once you get older, you start to realize it. I just want to pay her back and show her that I really appreciate what she did.”
In 2016-17, Bledsoe has his sights set on returning to the form that saw him average 20.4 points, 6.1 assists and two steals in 31 games last season before getting hurt. Until then, he’ll continue his work in the gym – no matter how taxing it is physically and mentally.
“It’s been intense – ‘Cowboy’ (Suns head strength and conditioning coach Mike Elliott) does a great job of knowing when to ramp it up and when to take a day off,” Bledsoe said. “Half of the battle is getting up.
“In the morning I don’t feel like going in. Then I sit there and think and talk to myself a little bit and say, ‘You need to.’ So I come in and get the job done.”
As for Bledsoe’s outlook on the future of the team, he, like the rest of the fan base, is optimistic that the pieces the front office has put together will develop into something special.
The Suns own three first-round picks in Thursday’s NBA Draft. Whoever the team selects will join a young nucleus that includes Devin Booker, Alex Len and others.
“Everything happens for a reason. Me going down, ‘Book’ got a chance to show the growth,” Bledsoe said. “Once everybody gets healthy, everybody on the team will know what everyone can do.
“We’ve got one goal: Make the playoffs. It’s as simple as that.”