Traded by the Pelicans to the Grizzlies over the summer, Eric Bledsoe was again traded almost in the wake of the Los Angeles Clippers, where he played his first four NBA seasons and where he was called mini-LeBron. A return to basics, within a team which will once again aim for the title this year. After reaching the conference semifinals for the first time in their existence, the Clippers have recovered an experienced point guard capable of imposing their paw on a game if necessary. Tyronn Read, the Clips coach, knows what type of player he now has in his roster. A player who will not make waves, but yet able to electrify the game once on the field, a hyper aggressive energizer towards the circle if necessary. And these qualities, Lue intends to exploit them.
“He’s just a guy who naturally doesn’t talk much, but he plays hard, he’s competitive every night and we need him to be aggressive. I will be behind him so that he remains aggressive and that he attacks (the basket). »Tyronn Lue
After 12 seasons in the league, Bledsoe arrives in a new team that already has a system and a way of playing in place. So with all his experience, he will have to find, by himself sometimes, a way to blend in with the crowd and integrate into the rotation to bring the maximum of his abilities. And for that, he can count on his new teammates.
So Bledsoe accepts the challenge and fully appreciates it. For what he represents and what he will face.
“It’s a challenge because when you get into a new team you don’t want to try to do too much. But you still want to play your game at the same time. So it’s a challenge. You definitely have to find your place and do what I do best. And in defense, try to help everyone. »Eric Bledsoe
While he has since played for 3 different franchises in Phoenix, Milwaukee and New Orleans – he has not played with Memphis – he returns to an organization he knows well and where he could find some habits. But in fact, it is rather the opposite, he knows most of his teammates, but it is to the basketball set up that he will have to adapt.
“I don’t feel like I’m on a whole new team either because obviously I’ve been in the league for 12 years and I know all the players just by playing against them. So there is a lot of respect for this aspect of integration. But about coming here, knowing the systems, knowing how T Lue wants to play, a new staff and everything that goes with that, from that point of view and that aspect, it’s new to me. »Eric Bledsoe
If he was not very skilful in the four preseason games he played with 31.3% in the shoot, for 4 points per game, he has however shown that he is still this complete player, capturing 6 rebounds and giving 3.8 assists per game. He also has a fairly lucid look at his performances.
“I probably could have shot a little better. But it comes with playing. I can’t think about it too much. But I think I did a great job of picking up the pace, of involving the players, of playing my part. “
After a somewhat complicated end of the course for Milwaukee, champion after his departure, and a hopeless experience in New Orleans, Eric Bledsoe returns to the Clippers in a role he has perhaps not known since his early years. to the Clippers. Now it’s up to him to impose himself, and to show that he can still do more than that.
Via Los Angeles Times
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