Milwaukee Bucks: The Eric Bledsoe effect

Eric Bledsoe came to the Milwaukee Bucks in a trade which will potentially change the outlook of the Eastern Conference. Let’s take a look at how.

Every so often a team makes a trade which has multiple ripples throughout the organization. The Milwaukee Bucks achieved such a trade when they sent Greg Monroe to the Phoenix Suns for Eric Bledsoe. Now, just over a month later, it is time to take a look at effect Bledsoe is having on the Bucks.

Prior to Bledsoe arriving, the Bucks usually started with Malcolm Brogdon, Tony Snell, Khris Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Thon Maker.

This lineup is a floor-spacing dream. Every player except for Antetokounmpo has a really good stroke from deep. This meant Giannis had space to drive and create, either for himself or for his teammates.

However, the game against the Boston Celtics changed all that. The Celtics packed the paint, taking the space from Antetokounmpo and daring him to rely on his teammates to hit the outside shot. The result of this change in play was a 1-5 slide. Antetokounmpo was still a threat, but he was not able to open the court up for his teammates.

Then the trade happened. Bledsoe is a good player on both sides of the ball. Monroe is an incredibly effective low post player offensively. Defensively however, he is a bit of a liability. Here’s a look at how Bledsoe has impacted this team so far.