Milwaukee Bucks: 5 positives since the Eric Bledsoe trade

Improved defense

Although there have been significant factors outside of Bledsoe’s presence in the team that have also changed of late, the 28-year-old’s impact on Milwaukee’s improved defense shouldn’t be overlooked.

Jason Kidd has adjusted to a more conservative scheme over the Bucks’ last seven games or so — even if he’s not particularly forthcoming in acknowledging that fact — but even in Milwaukee’s more troublesome, trapping scheme Bledsoe helped to plug some gaps.

Motivation may at times have been a factor for Bledsoe in Phoenix, but he has long held a reputation as a stellar defender. He can use his length to make a defensive impact much like many of his Bucks teammates, but Bledsoe’s greatest defensive strength is his ability to slow down opposing sets at the point of attack.

Bledsoe’s tenacious defense is even bearing out positively in the numbers, as the Bucks are sixth in the NBA with a defensive rating of 103.1 over the last 15 games, having been 29th with a defensive rating of 109.5 in 10 games prior to his arrival.

A more conservative, switching-based scheme benefits the team overall and is better suited to dealing with NBA offenses in 2017, but regardless of the scheme overall, Bledsoe has already shown himself to be a positive individual defender who should help on that end whenever he takes to the floor.