Phoenix Suns guard and leading scorer Eric Bledsoe will miss the remainder of the 2015-16 season after undergoing successful surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee, the Suns reported Tuesday.
"(Bledsoe's) prognosis is for a return to full playing status for the start of training camp next fall," the Suns said in a statement.
Bledsoe injured his knee in the second quarter of the Suns' loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday. Previous reports predicted he would be out of action throughout at least the All-Star break in mid-Februrary.
"Whenever one of your best players goes down, somebody has got to step up." ~ Coach Hornacek on @EBled2's injury pic.twitter.com/MYU83LbWzm
— #WeArePHX (@Suns) December 29, 2015
The fifth-year pro played in 31 games for the Suns this season. He leads the team in points (20.4), assists (6.1) and steals (2.03) per game.
The report comes just one day after the Suns announced the firing of assistant coaches Mike Longabardi and Jerry Sichting.