Player of the Week Highlights: Mini LeBron is Taking Over

Isaiah Thomas may have just had his most productive week as a Sun to date. Thomas poured in 24, 22 and 27 points against the Lakers, Blazers and Rockets respectively, all while shooting an extraordinarily efficient 56 percent from the field, 52 percent from three-point range and 89 percent from the free-throw line.

However, Thomas is not the subject of this article, which should give you a clue about the insane type of week that Eric Bledsoe had.

Bledsoe averaged 25 points, 7.7 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 2.0 steals per game, with his best performance coming against the Portland Trailblazers. Not only did Bledsoe score a career-high 33 points to go along with 10 rebounds and 6 assists, but he also held star point guard Damian Lillard to just 6-22 shooting.

Just how great of a week was it for "Mini LeBron"? So great that he produced at the same level as the real LeBron, who averaged 25.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 7.3 assists against the Bulls, Jazz and Hornets.

Bledsoe's three-point shot still appears to be a weakness, as his 31% clip for the season is below the league average and well below what fellow guards Isaiah Thomas and Goran Dragic are shooting. But every day Bledsoe continues to prove that he doesn't need his shot to be effective. He consistently crashes the boards and plays above-average perimeter defense.

A more efficient long-range shot would be nice, but for now Bledsoe's slashing ability is something to be admired. According to NBA.com/stats, there are 12 starting NBA guards who have attempted at least 200 shots in the restricted area. Of those 12, Dragic ranks first in efficiency, shooting 71.2%. Bledsoe is tied with Jimmy Butler for 2nd, shooting 61.3%.

They don't call them the slash brothers for nothing.

It should also be pointed out that even Bledsoe's passing and decision making seems to be getting a bit better. By averaging slightly more assists per game this season and slightly fewer turnovers, Bledsoe has improved his assist-turnover ratio from 1.67 (in '13-14) to 2.0 (this season).

That still isn't great. In fact, it only ranks 34th out of 47 qualified point guards. But it's certainly better than last season, when he ranked 46th out of 47 point guards in that area.

Here are his highlights from the past month. Make sure to vote for your own player of the week!

Here are stats for the key players of the week:

Bledsoe averaged 25 points, 7.7 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 2.0 steals and 3.0 turnovers per game on 51/31/72 shooting.

Thomas averaged 24.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 3.3 turnovers on 56/52/89 shooting.

Dragic put up 14 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game on 54/25/40 shooting. He attempted only 5 free throws and also played only 29 minutes per night.

Markieff only played 27 minutes per night, and in that time put up an average of 14 points and 4 rebounds on 50/33/60 shooting.

Gerald Green played only 19.3 minutes per game, yet averaged 13.3 points and 3.3 rebounds on 42/40 shooting (no free throws). That equates to 24.8 points per 36 minutes.