Milwaukee Bucks: 5 positives since the Eric Bledsoe trade
By Adam McGee
Dynamic point guard play
When the trade for Bledsoe was finalized, the one thing that could have been guaranteed there and then was that the Bucks were finally going to have the kind of dynamic point guard their roster had lacked for a number of years.
Through 15 games, that has still proven to be true, and the advantages of it may be even greater than could have previously been imagined.
The luxury of having a point guard capable of creating his own shot and attacking with purpose can’t be lost on Bucks fans, as with every passing game Bledsoe looks more confident, more aggressive and more in sync with his teammates.
Bledsoe offers Milwaukee the kind of bail-out option late in games and late in the shot clock that not only improves their variety of scoring options, but also leads to better looks for Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton.
Ball movement has suffered in many ways since the Bledsoe trade, but on the flip side of that discussion, Bledsoe offers so many wrinkles to the offense that more selfless guards like Malcolm Brogdon and Matthew Dellavedova just aren’t capable of.
Giannis has thrived in the pick-and-roll with both Dellavedova and Brogdon, but in that scenario the focus of the defense would rarely leave the Greek Freak. With Bledsoe, there’s no winning for the opposing defense in defending those pick-and-rolls as the Bucks can direct the play through either player, and are well-prepared to punish any over-helping by kicking out to the likes of Middleton and Tony Snell on the perimeter.
Bledsoe’s play style was always going to benefit the Bucks, but it can’t be overlooked just how quickly he has managed to build chemistry with his teammates and meshed in seamlessly.