Milwaukee Bucks: 3 biggest hurdles in potentially replacing Eric Bledsoe

Milwaukee Bucks: 3 biggest hurdles in potentially replacing Eric Bledsoe – Replacing defensive impact

There’s no question that if the Bucks were to move on from Bledsoe this offseason, they have quite the hill to climb in being able to replicate his defensive impact on the league’s best defensive team the last two years running.

It’s obvious to point to the All-Defensive selections that Bledsoe has received in each of the last two seasons as a way of showing his greatness on that end of the floor. But even that doesn’t wholly illustrate the way Bledsoe has been so influential within the Bucks’ defensive scheme.

The arrival of Budenholzer and his coaching staff have optimized Bledsoe’s raw athletic gifts and physical tools in regaining his focus into standing as one of the best perimeter and point of attack defenders across the league. For all of the talk on how stout the Bucks have been in defending the rim, which is so key to their overall scheme, it wouldn’t have been made possible without someone like Bledsoe chasing and harassing opposing ball handlers.

The drop off from Bledsoe to say, someone like George Hill, isn’t completely massive in this regard, given Hill’s own set of size and physical tools. But those questions will bubble up if the Bucks bring in a new addition into their guard rotation or backcourt that doesn’t necessarily match Bledsoe’s athletic and physical profile.

If the Bucks want the playmaking and shooting upgrades they desire this offseason, some sacrifices will have to be made that may run counter to the defensive-minded identity they have formed. And that will come at the cost of one of the players that have helped establish that.