Milwaukee Bucks: 3 takeaways from Game 4 sweep vs. Pistons

1. Eric Bledsoe could be the final barometer

Eric Bledsoe led the Bucks in just one category on the night: He had two steals, whereas the remainder of Milwaukee’s thieves had just one apiece. It doesn’t matter that he didn’t have those raw counting stats, because he makes his presence felt in other ways. He can drive to the basket to kick out to shooters that can swing the ball to the open man, or he can get to the basket to force opponents to foul which helps in a number of ways.

One major key in the next series will be the defense of Bledsoe on point guard Kyrie Irving. Irving was one of the 10-15 best players in the NBA this season. During the Celtics’ series against the Indiana Pacers, he cooked them on a regular basis, especially late in games. Bledsoe could be a major deterrent to that. The Celtics could struggle to generate regular offense without Irving as the driving force, since he’s led only the 11th-ranked offense so far in the playoffs.

If Giannis gets locked up (which looks next-to-impossible right now) or wants to work off the ball, the Bucks can default to Bledsoe running the offense. He also alleviates the loss that the team is dealing with as Malcolm Brogdon recovers from his heel injury. Giannis and Khris Middleton will get theirs, but it’s Bledsoe that will may the difference at the end of the next series.