On a recent episode of his "Pull up with CJ McCollum" podcast, Portland Trailblazers guard CJ McCollum called newest Clipper Eric Bledsoe a "Mini LeBron." Believe it or not, this is a comparison that Bledsoe has gotten since his third year in the league, when his Clippers teammate Jamal Crawford began calling him that.
After a game between the Clippers and Miami Heat in November of 2012, Bledsoe stated that LeBron James called him and said "This is baby LeBron." Fast-forward nine years later, and Bledsoe is still drawing these comparisons from his NBA colleagues.
While nobody actually believes that Bledsoe is in LeBron's tier of dominance, the comparisons stem from their similar play-style. Both players are extremely athletic, and especially strong for their size, and both players are adamant downhill drivers, especially in transition. Perhaps one of the most uncanny similarities between LeBron and Bledsoe, is their chase-down block ability.
The Clippers traded Patrick Beverley, Rajon Rondo, and Daniel Oturu for Bledsoe in hopes that he can bring some of these attributes to a Clippers team that will need it in the absence of Kawhi Leonard. With the plethora of shooters that the Clippers have, Bledsoe will be able to operate as a downhill threat with spacing all around him. While his lack of an outside shot is always a concern, it is likely that the Clippers will not need much of that from him in the role that he will be playing.
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