Phoenix Suns Player of the Week: Goran Dragic

Goran Dragic had an absolutely phenomenal week. So much so, that nobody else really stood a chance of being named the player of the week this time around. Other players had very good games at times as well, but nobody played with the kind of consistency that Dragic showed over the past five games...not even close.

Dragic's stat line was tremendous this week. Looking at his scoring alone, 23,14, 31,19, and 24 points, respectively, would likely be reason enough to crown him. However, he also scored at a very efficient clip, shooting over 50% from the filed overall, and was also very effective at getting to the rim and also drawing the foul...shooting 32 free throws in all over the past week.

Still, this doesn't yet begin to describe the true impact he made on the team. In addition to his scoring, he averaged 10 assists per game over the past week...Doing a phenomenal job of orchestrating the Suns offense as a whole. In addition, he was consistently chasing down loose balls, hustling back on defense, and playing every possession with maximum energy.

This may have been Dragic's most impressive stretch of games that I've ever seen him play. He's had plenty of great games before, but he strung together an entire week's worth this time, and was impressive in each one of them.

In the absence of Eric Bledsoe, Goran Dragic stepped up his game in a big way, and completely took over the role as the Alpha Dog of the team. Dragic not only took over as the sole facilitator, but also the aggressor and the closer. In fact, the return of Bledsoe while seemingly a bonus in Utah, may have been one of the reasons for the Suns undoing last night in Phoenix...as it may take a couple of games for the Suns to re-establish their continuity together.

Before Eric Bledsoe went down with his shin injury, there was little doubt that there was a new sheriff in town, and that the Dragon would assume the role of second fiddle in Phoenix. After all, Bledsoe is still the leading scorer on the team in points per game (19.6), as well as steals (1.73), and is the best rebounding guard as well (4.5). On the other hand, Dragic has a higher assist average (7.6), and a slightly lower turnover rate (2.57).

But things could certainly change. this is still a very young season and the team is still trying to figure things out, including their respective roles.

It will be interesting to see if the dynamic changes once again with Bledsoe back in the line-up. Will he quickly reassert himself as the Suns' leading man, or will Dragic continue his way of playing without relinquishing his role. Time will tell, but Bledsoe will have to step up big time in order to best the performance that the Dragon has put on over the past week.