Milwaukee Bucks: Eric Bledsoe is a professional pest

Eric Bledsoe uses his unbelievable wingspan to create steals at an unparalleled rate, and those steals lead directly to efficient offense.

Milwaukee Bucks guard Eric Bledsoe is one of the NBA’s biggest physical anomalies. He stands a diminutive 6’1”, making him look like a child next to virtually any NBA player short of former teammates Isaiah Thomas and Tyler Ulis. But get this: Bledsoe has 6’7.5” wingspan.

Bledsoe’s long employed his remarkable wingspan with great success. Outside of the toxic environment that is Phoenix, Bledsoe’s always been a competent defender. He stands out as truly special in one specific aspect of defense: steals. And for that, he has his wingspan to thank.

He generates immense pressure on ball-handlers, reaching into pockets that are out of range for a normal human being. He disrupts passing lanes, taking away angles that are open against properly-proportioned individuals. He can afford to take risks, because even if he gets beat, his length gives him added margin for error, a mechanism for recovery.

For a player so naturally gifted in thievery, the Bucks were a match made in heaven.

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The Bucks’ extremely aggressive, turnover-oriented defense under Jason Kidd was the perfect mechanism to unleash Bledsoe. When he traps a guard with another defender, his wingspan is nothing short of smothering. When he’s permitted — encouraged even — to take risks, Bledsoe’s bound to rack up steals. And rack up steals he has.

Since joining the Bucks, Bledsoe has stolen the ball 2.3 times per game; his overall season average of 2.2 per game (including his time in Phoenix) currently leads the league. Bledsoe’s dominance as a thief is not merely a product of his heavy minutes load either. His steal percentage of 3.1 percent (with the Bucks) is tops among all point guards.

Steals (and blocks) are poor measures of overall defense, but they are valuable. Bledsoe’s steals provide tremendous value, because they often go something like this:

Bledsoe pushes off steals. When he’s on the court, the Bucks get 3.7 percent more of their possessions in transition than with him off. That differential is in the 96th percentile among all players. Because transition offense is so valuable, the Bucks create an extra 1.8 points per 100 possessions through transition alone when Bledsoe is on the floor.

A measly 1.8 points per 100 possessions might not sound impressive, but consider this: 1.8 points per 100 possessions is a greater margin than that between the LA Clippers’ eighth-ranked offense and the New York Knicks’ 13th-ranked offense. Bledsoe truly elevates an offense through his transition play.

With Jason Kidd out as head coach in Milwaukee, it stands to reason that the team’s controversial, ultra-aggressive defensive scheme will be jettisoned in favor of something more conservative (and effective). While that might bring Bledsoe’s steal numbers down from absurd to exceptional, I wouldn’t expect his numbers to crater.

Bledsoe’s steal percentage has been elite — over two percent, often approaching or even exceeding two percent — every year of his career save for a lost year in Phoenix in 2016-17. An engaged Bledsoe, even in a normal NBA defensive system, is still among the NBA’s premier pickpockets.

Next: 2017-18 Week 15 NBA Power Rankings

When Milwaukee eventually finds Kidd’s permanent replacement, changes will be numerous, but Eric Bledsoe being a professional pest will not be among them, and for that, Bucks fans can be eternally grateful.