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Milwaukee Bucks: Eric Bledsoe could be key to success

By Dan Larsen

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - MARCH 19: Eric Bledsoe #6 of the Milwaukee Bucks reacts in the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Fiserv Forum on March 19, 2019 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 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. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - MARCH 19: Eric Bledsoe #6 of the Milwaukee Bucks reacts in the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Fiserv Forum on March 19, 2019 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 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. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /
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Milwaukee Bucks guard Eric Bledsoe had a rough run of it in the playoffs this past spring. However, if the team is going to reach its potential, they need him to be elite in the 2019-20 season.

With training camp now underway, the 2019-20 NBA season is nearly upon us.

One Milwaukee Bucks player who is surely chomping at the bit to get back on the court is starting point guard, Eric Bledsoe. Bledsoe had what can only being described as a rocky season in 2018-19.

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Through the end of January, Bledsoe was arguably the Bucks’ second best player behind the eventual league MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo. In fact, I made the argument at the time that he, not Khris Middleton, deserved to join Antetokounmpo in Charlotte for the NBA All-Star game.

Not that long after that, the Milwaukee Bucks gave Bledsoe their full vote of confidence when they signed him to a four year contract extension at the beginning of March, just a few months before he was set to enter free agency.

Outside of a brief run that month, where he struggled with scoring at the rim as efficiently as he had earlier in the season, he was excellent. It seemed, going into the post-season, that Bledsoe had exercised the demons from his disastrous 2018 playoff performances against the Boston Celtics.

Unfortunately, once the Bucks got past the first round, things went off the rails again for Bledsoe. He had several volatile performances for the team in their 4-1 destruction of the Boston Celtics. Bledsoe was serviceable in several games in that series, but he was still performing at a level significantly below his regular season production.

Then, when they needed Bledsoe most in the Eastern Conference Finals, he couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn with his shot. Bledsoe became virtually unplayable in the final games of the series. His struggles helped to play a major role in why the Bucks lost after leading the series 2-0.

The Milwaukee Bucks’ playoff run this past spring worked as a jarring reminder of how just how important the supporting cast around Antetokounmpo is.

When everything was clicking, the Bucks were, by many statistical measures, the league’s best team last season, even during the playoffs. When the supporting cast struggled, especially with their shot from three, their offensive system collapsed and they had no alternative approach to fall back on.

Eric Bledsoe, more than any other player in that supporting cast, held the key to their success. If he had been firing on all cylinders in the Eastern Conference Finals, Bledsoe could have out-dueled Kyle Lowry and Fred Van Vleet, putting the Bucks over the top.

If Bledsoe had been even league average from the floor in that series, the Raptors couldn’t have played a defensive scheme that allowed players like Pascal Siakam and Kyle Lowry to cheat into the lanes and break things up. That would have likely resulted in a Bucks victory in such a tight series.

Bledsoe’s importance to the team has only gone up since then. With Malcolm Brogdon’s departure over the summer, the Bucks lost their best spot-up shooter and a fantastic secondary creator. With fewer high quality options to fall back on at the guard positions, the Bucks cannot afford another major collapse in shooting from Eric Bledsoe at ANY point this season. Such struggles could be the difference between Milwaukee getting home court throughout the playoffs again, or falling back to teams, like Boston and Indiana, who may take a step forward after their off-season acquisitions.

The key to Bledsoe being a consistent contributor is for him to be steady from three. Last season, Bledsoe was very strong on pull-up threes (38.1 percent on 2.1 attempts per game), but he shot quite poorly on spot-ups (29.3 percent on 2.5 attempts per game). Those numbers were the reverse the season before (39 percent on three catch-and shoot three attempts versus 26.5 percent on 1.6 pull-up attempts per game).

If Bledsoe can get his percentages into the 35-37 percent range on both types of attempts, especially on the volume of threes he takes, that should stop defenders from being able to play off of him when he’s off the ball. That would prevent the kind of scheme the Raptors were able to execute from working again.

Bledsoe’s other skills are very strong. He’s one of the best in the league when driving and finishing at the rim. His defense was All-NBA level last year too. Bledsoe just needs to trust his skills, and his teammates, in key spots.

He’s shown at many points during his career that he can duel with the best of them at an extremely deep and talented position. It’s just a matter of him finding that confidence and consistency when in matters most.

Next. Milwaukee Bucks: Key quotes, highlights from 2019-20 Media Day. dark

Bledsoe holds the key to the Milwaukee Bucks’ success in the 2019-20 season.

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