Milwaukee Bucks: 3 questions heading into the Orlando bubble

Can Eric Bledsoe finally end his postseason woes?

For two years straight, Eric Bledsoe has regressed to a shell of himself in the postseason for the Milwaukee Bucks. When the team needed that third star to step up in big games, he vanished. Hopefully, this time around, the third time is the charm.

Discounting this season, Eric Bledsoe served as a valuable contributor to the team’s regular-season success. In his previous two seasons since joining the Bucks, Bledsoe averaged a combined 16.8 points per game on 47.9 percent shooting from the field and 33.8 percent from 3-point land.

The Bucks made the postseason both of those seasons, and Bledsoe’s struggles took full effect both times. In 22 playoff games with the team, the guard averaged a subpar 13.6 points per game on 42.0 percent shooting from the field and 25.5 percent shooting from behind the arc.

Bledsoe’s postseason woes were on full display against the Toronto Raptors in last year’s Eastern Conference Finals. Although several players on Milwaukee’s side declined compared to their regular-season selves, Bledsoe was the most apparent.

Fresh off of receiving a 4-year, $70 million contract extension before the 2019 Playoffs, Bledsoe was a significant disappointment versus the Raptors. The guard blatantly struggled throughout six games as he averaged a mere 10.2 points per game on 29.4 percent shooting from the field and an abysmal 17.2 percent from behind the arc.

For a starting point guard on a championship-caliber team, those numbers are not acceptable. The Bucks need Bledsoe to break the spell and make a name for himself these upcoming playoffs.

The Bucks have all of the necessary pieces to contend for a championship right now, but they need those pieces to translate their regular season play over to the postseason. Eric Bledsoe’s postseason play could be the ultimate X-factor for this Milwaukee team, and hopefully, he can change the narrative surrounding his play in the postseason.