Milwaukee Bucks: 3 players facing the most pressure in 2018-19

1. Eric Bledsoe

Eric Bledsoe has been a player struggling to find a home ever since joining the league. In Los Angeles he learned to play off-ball in order to be more than Chris Paul’s backup. In Phoenix he played small forward in puzzling three-point guard lineups, then later was putting up points on a crumbling and dysfunctional team. Last season in Milwaukee he joined an uncertain hierarchy and made huge gaffs during the most important games.

Bledsoe is an incredibly talented player, and this will be his first offseason with the Bucks. Under the guidance of Mike Budenholzer and his staff it’s absolutely reasonable to think Bledsoe will play with more consistency and poise, a player the Bucks can rely upon at all time.

Yet it’s also reasonable to think Bledsoe lacks something that will hold him back from being a high-end contributor on a contending team. Milwaukee’s fans will analyze him with ferocity to weigh whether he is worthy of being Giannis’ running mate. The front office will be analyzing him to see if he is worth the money for a new contract.

If things go poorly this season Bledsoe could be out of the door by the trade deadline or set free during free agency. The best of Bledsoe from last season is a player who can help the Bucks advance in the postseason. But if he cannot summon the best on a nightly basis, his time in Milwaukee could come to a quick end.