Eric Bledsoe undergoes knee surgery, but likely to return this season

Eric Bledsoe’s knee injury does not appear to be as serious as previously feared. The Suns’ rising star underwent arthroscopic surgery that only removed part of his damaged right meniscus rather than a more serious procedure, according to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. This will allow Bledsoe to return in 4-6 weeks, according to the report.

There was concern that Bledsoe needed to have his meniscus either fully removed or repaired. The former is a procedure that stars such as Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul has undergone that ensures a quicker recovery, but could lead to more damage down the road.

The latter is done when there’s more serious meniscus damage; it’s the same procedure that will keep Derrick Rose out for the rest of the season after he injured his knee in November. Removing just part of the meniscus via an arthroscopic surgery allows more cushioning in the knee joint and will get Bledsoe healthy sooner without the damaging long-term effects of a full-on removal.

Feb. 5 through the 23rd presents a different range of challenges for the Suns. In seven games, they will face the Rockets twice, the Warriors, the Heat, the Spurs and the Nuggets in Denver. There’s almost no way Bledsoe will be ready to return for this stretch, so taking care of the easy schedule in January and early February is important.

Having Goran Dragic also puts Phoenix in a unique situation where it can manage without Bledsoe. The versatile, crafty guard can play with Bledsoe in two-point-guard sets, but he’s also comfortable manning the offense by himself. In 658 minutes that Dragic has played without Bledsoe, Dragic’s offensive rating has spiked from 106 to 110.4, according to NBA.com’s stats tool. The defense is nearly five points worse when Dragic plays without Bledsoe, but the net rating is almost identical.

Bledsoe hopes to return to the court at some point during the second half of the season, which could coincide with a playoff push for Phoenix.

Bledsoe had been sidelined with a knee issue since Dec. 30 before it was revealed Thursday that surgery was necessary. The fact that the injury isn’t definitely a season-ender is good news for the Suns, but it’s still a huge blow to a team that has been the surprise of the NBA this year.

Bledsoe’s injury was originally termed a knee sprain and he was said to be out “at least a week” on Jan. 4. It appears that the knee issue turned out to be worse than the Suns thought.

With Bledsoe and Dragic leading the way, the Suns have started the season 21-13 and looked to be a lock for the playoffs. Bledsoe’s extended absence might call that into question.