Milwaukee Bucks: 3 takeaways from Game 2 rout vs. Pistons

1. The new and improved Eric Bledsoe is still here

Eric Bledsoe was decidedly better in his second season with the Milwaukee Bucks compared to his first half-season with the team in 2017-18. Though his scoring average and 3-point percentage both went down, his engagement on the defensive end and slight uptick in assists and rebounds — in two fewer minutes per game — made him a borderline All-Star on a 60-win team.

However, there was still some lingering concern about what would happen once that playoffs came around. After all, it was only a year ago that Bledsoe went from being the final catalyst that would push the Bucks over the edge to first round goat when he was roasted alive by a backup point guard, Terry Rozier.

Reggie Jackson doesn’t compare to the version of Scary Terry that Milwaukee saw in last year’s playoffs, but through the first two games, it looks like the Bucks are getting the same, new and improved Eric Bledsoe they’ve enjoyed all season long.

In Game 2, Bledsoe led all scorers with 27 points, adding six assists, four rebounds and three steals as well. He shot 11-for-19 from the field, made three of his eight 3-pointers and even better, did it all in just 28 minutes … one year to the day after saying he didn’t know who Terry Rozier was.

When the Pistons cut the deficit to single digits early in the fourth quarter, Bledsoe — who scored the team’s first eight points of the final frame — went on a personal 6-0 run to extend Milwaukee’s lead back to 15.

He hounded Reggie Jackson after the break, holding him to just four second half points, and even threw a few razzle-dazzle passes to set up Giannis.

The competition will undoubtedly get stiffer as the playoffs continue on, but when the Greek Freak needs help, the early signs Bledsoe is showing seem promising.