Milwaukee Bucks: Eric Bledsoe continues to score early and often

The Milwaukee Bucks stand as one of the foremost teams attempting shots early on in offensive possessions this season and that’s where veteran point guard Eric Bledsoe has particularly thrived so far.

So far in their 2019-20 season, the Milwaukee Bucks are playing faster than they have previously played before.

Per NBA.com/stats, the Bucks lead the league in pace at 107.6 possessions, a huge uptick from the 103.6 possessions they averaged throughout the 2018-19 season and that ranked the Bucks fifth in the NBA in that department.

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Playing with pace was one of the many edicts that Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer instituted upon his arrival to Milwaukee a little more than 18 months ago and the Bucks’ personnel only reinforced how much of a priority that is under the overhaul Budenholzer and his staff have overseen since then.

As a result of the Bucks pushing the ball more frequently to capitalize on scrambling opposing defenses, they are attempting more shots taken early in the shot clock. And it’s through that lens where Bucks point guard Eric Bledsoe has really thrived scoring the ball at this point in his 2019-20 campaign.

After suffering a rib injury during preseason noticeably hindered Bledsoe’s play to start the season, the 29-year-old has found his groove and has packed an incredible scoring punch to supplement superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, especially in this current stretch where the Bucks are without the sidelined Khris Middleton.

Just in the month of November alone, Bledsoe has produced 20-point-plus games on seven occasions and has broken the 30-point mark twice since the Bucks have been without their All-Star swingman. On the season, Bledsoe is averaging 18 points on .474/.300/.803 shooting splits, along with 5.4 rebounds and 5.3 assists through the Bucks’ first 15 games this season.

It’s certainly early in the season, but that tracks as Bledsoe’s highest scoring average in a Bucks uniform. Bledsoe’s total efficiency (56.8 true shooting percentage) is a little down from the 57.7 true shooting percentage he tallied last season, which can be explained by his slim drop in his three-point shooting where he hit 32.9 percent of his three-point tries.

But the secret to Bledsoe’s scoring success at this point in the season isn’t entirely explained by where he’s shooting the ball, though that certainly helps. Instead, it can also be explained by when he’s shooting the ball in the shot clock.

With the blistering pace that the Bucks have played at this season, they’ve attempted the most shots taken very early in the shot clock, which NBA.com/stats deems from 22-18 seconds. And the Bucks have been the second-most efficient team inside the arc during that range on the shot clock, standing behind the Miami Heat.

The Bucks are attempting even more shots when taken from 18-15 seconds on the shot clock at 19.1 field goal attempts, though that mark stands 7th in the league. From that lens, Bledsoe has significantly contributed to both of those marks, along with Antetokounmpo.

And the results speak for themselves as Bledsoe is holding a 56.9 effective field goal percentage on the shots he takes from 22-18 seconds on the shot clock. On his shot attempts taken from 18-15 seconds on the shot clock, Bledsoe is currently tallying a 59.6 effective field goal percentage.

By getting up shots so early on in the shot clock, Bledsoe stands as one of the leading scorers in fast break points (3.5) throughout the NBA, standing 13th in that department. And Bledsoe is averaging an even 10 paint points so far this season and a career-high 55.6 percent of Bledsoe’s total points this year have come from the painted area.

All of this doesn’t come as too much of a surprise as Bledsoe has long been an effective scorer with the open floor to him and the Bucks’ league-leading pace only opens up more opportunities for the 29-year-old to turn on the afterburners and burst past a disorganized defensive unit.

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At the same time, opposing teams are well versed in the scouting report on Bledsoe and whether he can show off his scoring in other ways as well as in withstanding going against principled defenses that will pack the paint will become a big storyline when the postseason rolls around. But for now, this plan of attack will suit Bledsoe and the Bucks just fine as they stand atop of the Eastern Conference.

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