Milwaukee Bucks: Grading the starters after 1 month of games
Point Guard: Eric Bledsoe
The Milwaukee Bucks have only had Eric Bledsoe in their starting lineup for four games, but the change has already been significant. That’s not to say that Malcolm Brogdon is a bad player, because he is not. He’s been a key part of a bench backcourt no longer forced to play unqualified players. Bledsoe has just been excellent.
He hasn’t done it with high usage or incredible stat lines, but rather by elevating the level of team play. Bledsoe’s presence as a secondary ball-handler forces defenses to react when he has the ball in different ways than they did when Brogdon or Matthew Dellavedova had it. This creates more opportunities for cuts, back screens or small cracks to open up when the defense is looking the other way.
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Bledsoe has been magnificent at pushing the pace, something Brogdon did gamely but simply wasn’t in his DNA after five years at Virginia. The former Kentucky guard Bledsoe loves to push the pace, and along with Giannis form one of the league’s most terrifying fast break duos in the league. The combination of ball-handling and athleticism makes them almost unstoppable in the open court.
Bledsoe’s jumper has not been falling, but his career shooting metrics suggest that will normalize. Once it does, it’s likely that Bledsoe will begin scoring in the upper teens per game, giving Antetokounmpo two scoring wingmen in Khris Middleton and Bledsoe. While the Bucks’ newest addition hasn’t been perfect, he is clearly helping this team reach its potential in a way it was not before.
Grade: B+