The early returns on the Eric Bledsoe trade have been incredibly positive for the Milwaukee Bucks, but what are the elements that stand out the most?
With a record of 11-4 since sending a package built around Greg Monroe to Phoenix in exchange for Eric Bledsoe, the Milwaukee Bucks have every reason to be happy about how that trade is working out so far.
Although the Bucks still have plenty of question marks surrounding them and can fall back into familiar pitfalls on any given night, the further injection of talent into the roster has certainly buoyed the team’s results overall.
Milwaukee’s game has changed a little since the arrival of their dynamic new point guard, and with that there have been negative trends such as less assists and significant shooting regressions to emerge.
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Still, perhaps nothing sums up the impact that Bledsoe has made more than the fact the considerable positives of his inclusion in the team are clearly outweighing any of those negatives.
With averages of 18.0 points, 4.2 assists and 4.0 rebounds across his 15 games with the team, and in the midst of a current run of three straight games of scoring 20 points or more, the Alabama native is looking very much at home in his new surroundings, and his new team has reaped the rewards immediately.
On that note, let’s take a closer look at some of the standout positives from the early days of Bledsoe’s time as a Buck.
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.
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.
Middleton back to his best
After a tough start to the season, Khris Middleton is now approaching top form and is easily one of the most obvious benefactors of the Bledsoe addition.
In the 10 games before the trade, Middleton averaged 19.1 points on 17 field goal attempts, 6.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game, while shooting 42.4 percent from the field and 26.9 percent from deep.
Since the arrival of Milwaukee’s star point guard, Middleton is scoring more on considerably less shots and being required to pick up less of the team’s workload when it comes to assists and rebounds.
With averages across his last 15 games of 20.7 points on 14.5 field goal attempts, 4.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists, while shooting 51.8 percent from the field and 45.3 percent from deep, Middleton is thriving alongside his new teammate.
Middleton’s play style has always been better suited to him functioning as a complementary piece and playing off the ball when possible, and Bledsoe has allowed Middleton to return to something closer to that role of late.
As a result, Middleton looks fresher in spite of his still considerable minutes totals and is having a far greater influence on games than he was at the beginning of the season.
Freeing up Giannis
Middleton isn’t the only Buck benefiting from the increased freedom since Bledsoe has come to Milwaukee.
Although Giannis Antetokounmpo is still doing almost everything for the Bucks and is a lock to get his numbers regardless of who he’s on the floor with, it’s the kind of opportunities he now receives that have changed with Bledsoe’s arrival.
Antetokounmpo’s best basketball of the season so far most certainly came to open the year when he overwhelmed the NBA with his play and immediately fast-forwarded the process on him being considered an MVP candidate. That fact should terrify opposing teams, though, as when Giannis hits top gear again for a sustained period later in the season, he’ll likely be able to wreak even more havoc.
Simply by increasing the talent on the roster by adding Bledsoe, it’s no longer possible for teams to channel all of their attention to Antetokounmpo in the way they would have done previously. As a result, Giannis looks to be forcing less shots than he has had to at times in the past with the Bucks.
Giannis having more freedom to play his natural game — and having more time and space due to the threats posed by his teammates — is a tantalizing prospect that is now grounded in reality.
Getting it done in the clutch
An under-discussed element of the Bucks’ season to date is just how good they’ve been down the stretch in close games.
For the season overall, Milwaukee ranks first in the NBA in clutch net rating, and it’s not even that close between them and the second placed Cleveland Cavaliers.
Built upon outstanding clutch play on both ends of the floor, the Bucks’ net rating of 39.2 in games where they have led or trailed by five points or less in the last five minutes is truly impressive.
With that in mind, it would almost seem impossible for the Bucks to have improved further on that mark in Bledsoe’s 15-game spell, but they have.
With a clutch net rating of 47.1 across Bledsoe’s time in Milwaukee, the Bucks have improved both their offensive and defensive play in close games to effectively bludgeon opponents down the stretch.
As it stands, the five-man lineup of Bledsoe, Snell, Middleton, Antetokounmpo and John Henson ranks fourth in the NBA in overall net rating among lineups that have played at least 100 minutes this season.
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In other words, Milwaukee’s starting and closing lineups have blossomed into some of the league’s very best with Bledsoe at the center of everything good that the team is doing.