Milwaukee Bucks Roundtable: Assessing the mixed start to the season

4. Is there a player, or are there players, whose individual play early on has you concerned about how their season will play out?

JT: I’d like to think we’re through the woods with Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, especially after his dominant performance against the Raptors over the weekend. But I, like all Bucks fans, have been more than a little anxious about what we’ve seen of Eric Bledsoe so far.

Bledsoe’s performance against the Magic gave some cause for optimism, but the combination of his erratic decision-making and shot selection has only exacerbated the offensive inconsistencies the Bucks have experienced early on. And it’s largely been the same issues we’ve seen when Bledsoe’s been far from his best, especially with the Bucks’ Conference Finals collapse still fresh in all of our minds.

Bledsoe’s shooting comes and goes as we’ve seen throughout his tenure in Milwaukee, but when he doesn’t show the willingness to attack the basket for whatever reason, Milwaukee’s struggles just multiply and it’s made George Hill’s contributions that much more integral off the bench as a result.

RD: I am not yet concerned about Khris Middleton but I am interested to see how well the All-Star small forward plays after signing such a large contract in the off-season. I loved the way that Khris played in the clutch last season and I hope that he can yet again be a player the Bucks can count on in late minutes. Like I previously mentioned, Middleton was an All-Star last season and I think many Bucks fans fully expect Middleton to make another appearance this year in Chicago. Another player I am curious about is Eric Bledsoe. Now in his third season with the Bucks, Bledsoe can firmly establish himself and lead the team alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo. Sometimes Bledsoe takes shots early in the shot clock that the team can look back on and see as unnecessary shots or plays that could have developed a bit more. Aside from quick shooting, Bledsoe is undeniably a scrappy defender and a player that plays hard and defends on another level, especially for a guy who is only 6’1″.

LB: I’m with Jordan. Bledsoe has me more than a little anxious. We all know that his offense is extremely streaky, but could always make up for his offensive deficiencies with his standout defensive effort. Unfortunately, his effort on that side of the ball has left much to be desired. If he’s not aggressively fighting over screens and being incredibly pesky defensively, I’m not exactly sure what purpose he serves to this team going forward. His decision making has been even more erratic than usual. He’s shooting a ghastly 23 percent from three this season on an astoundingly high four attempts, and often looks listless and uninvolved in the offense. He needs to use that aggressiveness in the paint where he can be more effective.

JC: I think Eric Bledsoe has been the player that has left me wanting more, but I do take this with a grain of salt because of his rib injury. I thought the Bucks rushed him into action a little too quickly in my opinion. I am not a doctor by any means, but his play has suggested that he still may be uncomfortable. The biggest red flag to me is him not finishing at the rim. Eric Bledsoe was an incredible rim finisher last season with the Bucks, but this year has been atrocious at times. My guess is that he’s a little tentative with going up near the rim because of his rib injury. Bledsoe may be afraid to receive contact into his rib area which may hinder his confidence and execution at the rim. It is only natural to try and avoid contact into a body part that is injured, so once his ribs heal I hope that his rim finishing becomes elite again. I also think that his defense has regressed compared to last season. Once again, his rib may be restricting his physicality on the defensive side of the ball. The bright side is that Bledsoe still seems to have that defensive instinct of his, so this further points to his injury maybe holding him back. If late November comes around and Bledsoe still has these issues, the Bucks may be in a little bit of a predicament. The Bucks cannot have this kind of form from Bledsoe all season if they are to meet expectations.

DL: In short: the guards.

Even though we’re several months removed from their loss in the ECF, Eric Bledsoe still appears to be dealing with the same issues that plagued him in the Toronto series. His overall play, on both ends of the court, has been extremely erratic. How much of that is mental, versus the painful rib injury he’s been playing with, is hard to know. However, the Bucks can ill afford to have him playing anything like he did in the Spring if they want to win a title. His performances thus far are concerning to say the least.

In the other guard spot, Wesley Matthews has looked quite poor in the opening six games. He’s struggled to find any consistency with his shot, and he’s not been stellar on the other side of the floor either. Much of that might be a result of him needing some time to acclimate to a new team and system, but there’s legitimate reason to be worried about him as a potential starting two on this roster. Coach Bud may need to consider leaning much more heavily on Sterling Brown and Donte DiVicenzo moving forward.

AM: It’s Wes Matthews for me. Something just seems off with him in the starting lineup right now, and I really believe slotting Sterling Brown in what that group would see everything step up a couple of notches immediately. That’s not to say Matthews won’t be a key contributor over the course of the year, but I think he’d be best served coming off the bench for now.