Deprived of several elements including their leader Paul George for a good ten games, the Clippers continue to hold out in the Western Conference, they who manage to pull off wins to maintain a positive balance sheet as well as their place in the Top 6. And one of the reasons for this great resistance is Eric Bledsoe.
“No matter what position I find myself in, starting or replacing, I’m just doing my best. And that’s what I did today. ” Eric Bledsoe’s speech after the Clippers’ feat on the Brooklyn floor on Saturday may sound like a boat, but it is filled with truth. For the first game of the year 2022, the Los Angeles team pulled off an unexpected success against the Nets of Kevin Durant and James Harden, back-to-back please, despite the absences of – attention the list is long – Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Nico Batum, Ivica Zubac, Luke Kennard, Marcus Morris or even Isaiah Hartenstein. Even coach Tyronn Lue was essential because he was in the middle of the COVID protocol. KD said it himself, Brooklyn didn’t think he would lose to such a diminished opponent, but Brooklyn probably didn’t think he’d run into a possessed Bledsoe either: 27 points (including 10 in the fourth quarter), 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks with 4 winning shots in the lot. Record scoring for E-Bled this season, and even record equaled in the jersey of the Clippers, he who – we recall – spent the first three seasons of his career in Los Angeles before continuing his good way on the side of Phoenix . If this release therefore clearly looks like a benchmark for the 32-year-old leader who returned to the Clips last summer, it does not come out of nowhere. Because yes, it’s been a good ten days now that Bledsoe has done the job well to help his team keep their heads above water despite the accumulated packages.
Since December 22, Eric Bledsoe has been shooting at 17 points (48.7% shooting, 47.8% 3-point, 85% free throws), 3.3 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1, 8 interceptions and 0.7 against average in 30 minutes per evening. Not bad for a guy many used as a punchline not too long ago. “Jrue Holiday makes an Eric Bledsoe” could we read on Twitter during the first games of the 2021 NBA Finals between Milwaukee and Phoenix, where Jrue struggled so much to shoot that he recalled some not very shiny performances of E-Bled in the jersey Bucks. Not very nice to Holiday, but not very nice to Bledsoe either, no stranger to reviews in recent years. But today, Eric has found a smile again in the City of Angels and proves that he can still contribute to the success of a team. In their last six games, including the last five played in an interval of only seven days, the Clippers have managed to snatch three wins against Sacramento, Boston (where Bledsoe was well clutched) and therefore Brooklyn. Enough to keep an overall positive (19-18) and sixth place in the West, just ahead of their neighbors – the Lakers. Propelled into the five major when Reggie Jackson had to make a detour in the health protocol of the NBA, Eric Bledsoe immediately responded like any good veteran. He returned to the bench against the Raptors on December 31 following Reggie’s reinstatement in the squad, but Brian Shaw – Ty Lue’s assistant – had little choice but to field him for the team. alongside the latter against the Nets when Luke Kennard in turn entered the H&S protocols. We know the result.
“Bledsoe is a seasoned veteran. He’s been there for a long time, he knows what he’s capable of. And we trust him, so we don’t have much to say to him. He knows his game. He did a good job for us last month. I take my hat off to Eric Bledsoe, clearly. “
– Clippers player Terance Mann after victory in Brooklyn, via The Athletic
Holder during the first twenty games alongside Reggie Jackson but rather irregular overall (9.8 points on average at 42.1% shooting including 27.9% at 3-points over the first 22 games of the season, in 28 minutes), Eric Bledsoe had gotten used to coming off the bench since the beginning of December, Ty Lue deciding to integrate E-Bled into the second unit to favor other combinations that may be more complementary at the rear. But when he received more responsibilities with the swell, Bledsoe was able to provide the scoring and distribution necessary for a Clippers team necessarily lacking creation without Paul George & Cie.. Finally, an interesting little stat to top it off, Eric is now the only Clippers player to have played every game this season. 37 out of 37 games. Renowned for his durability as well as his defensive abilities, Bledsoe is therefore a veteran on whom Los Angeles can count and that is still precious in the current climate characterized by COVID.
If the Clippers continue to hold the shock despite the absence of Paul George and others, it is in particular because Eric Bledsoe responds present in the middle of a collective which does not let go and which defends hard. He ended the year well and started the news very well, it’s up to him to continue on this beautiful dynamic because the Clips will still need him for the upcoming deadlines, Paul George not returning before mid-January at the earliest. …
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