Milwaukee Bucks: Can Eric Bledsoe improve as a three-point shooter?

After making a capable impact in this regard throughout his first season with the Milwaukee Bucks last year, what should we expect out of Eric Bledsoe‘s three-point shooting next season?

Before his introduction with the Milwaukee Bucks soured with an incredibly off-putting showing in the playoffs last season, Eric Bledsoe had formed a dynamic, productive trio alongside superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton.

Together, the triumvirate of Antetokounmpo, Bledsoe and Middleton had powered the Bucks through an underwhelming 44-win regular season that has and will continue to be defined as the culmination of the inconsistency that persisted throughout the tenure of former head coach Jason Kidd, who was fired in late January.

In spite of that, the Bucks’ bet to deal for a talented player such as Bledsoe and lift him off of a directionless Phoenix Suns team had worked out reasonably well as the former Kentucky Wildcat experienced his most efficient campaign of his career, in spite of the deficiencies he sports.

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Of course, Bledsoe’s completely underwhelming postseason return has re-contextualized his arrival and overall fit on the team’s roster, especially as he heads into a contract year.

While there were some faint whispers that the Bucks were listening on any and all trade offers for Bledsoe earlier in the summer, no move has obviously come to fruition at this point in the offseason.

With that in mind, Bledsoe will look to revitalize his standing within the Bucks’ long-term plans as well as make a solid first impression playing his first season under new head coach Mike Budenholzer.

Perhaps no other area swings Bledsoe’s ongoing fit in Milwaukee as how he fares as a shooter next season, specifically from long distance.

Last year, Bledsoe knocked down 34.9 percent of his 347 three-point attempts with the Bucks, the latter number standing as a career-high for the Alabama native. Considering he’s a career 33.7 percent three-point shooter to date, that’s a mildly encouraging return for a player like Bledsoe who has had to develop his touch from beyond the arc since coming into the NBA.

Delve deeper, though, and Bledsoe’s ability to drain threes off of the catch bolsters his case for being a adequate three-point shooter in that sense, seeing that he hit 39 percent of his 218 catch and shoot threes last year, per NBA.com/stats.

So given how much more effective he is at hitting threes at a standstill, Bucks fans must be wondering what is limiting or holding back Bledsoe from being a sure weapon in that aspect of his game.

If anything, it may be the placement of where Bledsoe’s treys come from that may be key to him unlocking increased effectiveness from that level of the floor.

Case in point, 297 of Bledsoe’s 347 three-point attempts last year came from both above the break spots on the arc and it should come as no surprise that he displayed more of a willingness to pull up from those areas as 31 percent of his makes came that way.

That’s obviously not counting for the misses as well and when you take all of that into account, there’s no question Bledsoe will be among the biggest to benefit playing under the type of system Budenholzer prizes, provided his shot selection becomes more refined in the process.

Coach Bud has no been stranger to entrusting point guards that have dealt with their fair share of range shooting inconsistencies during his days with the Atlanta Hawks, whether that was veteran point guard Jeff Teague, now of the Minnesota Timberwolves, or new Oklahoma City Thunder guard Dennis Schröder.

With a more spaced out floor, more effective and willing shooters, as well as ball and player movement, the elements are there for Bledsoe to find his footing again to re-establish the multi-pronged attack with Middleton and Antetokounmpo.

The question, as has been the case since the Bucks made the deal to bring him in near the beginning of November, is if Bledsoe can give the team a consistent boost from downtown. Time will only tell if that will be the case once next season starts up.