Milwaukee Bucks: Examining Eric Bledsoe’s potential fit
By Adam McGee
Athleticism
There’s good reason for why Eric Bledsoe was referred to as “Mini-LeBron” for a lot of his early years in the NBA.
Speaking of that nickname while ranking Bledsoe as the NBA’s eighth most athletic player back in 2014, Elizabeth Benson of Dime Magazine noted:
"“Bledsoe has electric speed in the open court and thrilling explosiveness in half-court sets. He has a wingspan of 6-7.5 and an incredible 40-inch max vertical leap, which allows him to throw down ridiculous slams and crushing blocks at any moment of the game. He has often been referred to as a ‘Mini LeBron’ due to his athletic talents. When you compare LeBron’s wingspan of 7-0.25 inches while standing at 6-8 to Bledsoe’s smaller stature, you can truly appreciate the 24-year-old’s ultra-impressive athleticism.”"
Although Bledsoe’s athleticism is peppered into the positive elements of his overall game, one of the most striking ways in which it could benefit the Bucks is in transition.
Bledsoe is one of the league’s few point guards capable of grabbing a defensive rebound on one end and powering off to take it end to end in a matter of seconds as a one man fastbreak. Expanding upon that, it’s difficult to imagine just how much havoc he could wreak if joined by similarly skilled and athletic players.
If Bledsoe was to land in Milwaukee, Giannis and him could get out and run on a nightly basis leaving opponents with no real means to stop them. Depending on who would be included in any potential trade, players like Jabari Parker and Thon Maker could also feature in the Bucks’ transition arsenal.
The Bucks are widely heralded as one of the league’s most athletic teams as it is, with Bledsoe added to the mix they likely wouldn’t have any equal.