Staying healthy
The stakes surrounding Bledsoe’s ninth NBA season are vast and there’s very little that can go against his liking to disrupt what a positive year could do for his playing future.
Bledsoe’s injury history is already a worrisome one as he’s suffered multiple knee injuries that have cut previous campaigns of his well short, the 2015-16 season being the most recent example. The combination of that and his game being built on his athleticism only raises questions about what Bledsoe will look like in the near future when he crosses over into the back half of his career.
As a result of all that, Bledsoe’s staring at his last chance to garner a rich, significant contract when he will be an unrestricted free agent next offseason.
With Middleton and Malcolm Brogdon also hitting the market along with Bledsoe several months from now, the Bucks face plenty of tough decisions and only have a small window of time to gauge how feasible Bledsoe’s fit is for the long haul under the new coaching regime.
Simply put, if Bledsoe suffers a significant injury of any kind at any point in the season, it will have disastrous effects on the future of his stay in Milwaukee and what he could potentially command on the open market in free agency next summer.
Be sure to keep coming around here to Behind the Buck Pass for more individual season previews in the lead up to the start of the 2018-19 NBA season.