Milwaukee Bucks 2018-19 Season Review: Eric Bledsoe

TORONTO, CANADA - MAY 21: Eric Bledsoe #6 of the Milwaukee Bucks stands for the National Anthem prior to a game against the Toronto Raptors before Game Four of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2019 NBA Playoffs on May 19, 2019 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
TORONTO, CANADA - MAY 21: Eric Bledsoe #6 of the Milwaukee Bucks stands for the National Anthem prior to a game against the Toronto Raptors before Game Four of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2019 NBA Playoffs on May 19, 2019 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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TORONTO, CANADA – MAY 19: (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
TORONTO, CANADA – MAY 19: (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /

The worst of Bledsoe

Unlike Khris Middleton, for example, for who the worst of his play generally arises when he becomes a peripheral figure on games, for Bledsoe it often comes about when he’s doing too much of the things he’s worst at.

Most notably, that applies to his shooting, and Bledsoe’s proclivity to settle for pull-up jump shots at moments when his team would be much better served by him driving to the rim.

This became a significant issue for Milwaukee in the playoffs as Bledsoe shot just 23.6 percent from three-point range and yet continued to fire up 4.8 attempts per game. No matter his struggles, taking open catch-and-shoot looks to preserve the team’s spacing is crucial, but in Bledsoe’s case they’re often turned down while early shot clock pull-ups are embraced instead.

This issue came to a head in the Conference Finals as the Raptors essentially rolled out the red carpet for Bledsoe shots as the series progressed.

This is the kind of treatment that’s been afforded to incredibly limited role players over the years, and for it to work against Bledsoe, it requires him to play his part in deciding to stop attacking and take away the great threat he can pose in that area.

This speaks to the tendency Bledsoe has for truly head scratching moments and plays, where his judgement, discipline and focus often come into question. More than any other Buck, Bledsoe’s contributions are determined by his mentality on a given night, and on plenty of occasions that has led to disappointment for Milwaukee.