Milwaukee Bucks: Five X-Factors for the team to succeed in NBA’s Orlando restart

X-Factor No. 2: Which Eric Bledsoe shows up in the bubble?

Maybe some of the uncertainty behind Budenholzer’s playoff woes are overblown, but the criticism of Bucks starting point guard Eric Bledsoe in the playoffs is completely warranted. During his two seasons in Milwaukee, Bledsoe’s field goal percentage dropped an average of 6.3 percent from the regular season to the playoffs. In 648 playoff minutes with this team, his decision-making dwindled, his shot selection wavered and his defense became a tad bit less reliable.

The question remains: Is this what’s to be expected from Bledsoe under the highest pressure, or can he overcome his stage fright? How Bledsoe plays in the eight games leading into the postseason will set the tempo for his performances after. If he resumes the season without giving maximum effort, he’ll probably have another detrimental playoff run.

While he didn’t play up to the All-Defensive team standard set for himself last season, Bledsoe had a relatively effective season so far for the Bucks. His 3-point percentage is the highest its been since 2016, he’s rebounded the ball exceptionally well, he remains a bulldog of a defender and his true shooting is the second-highest its ever been at 57.9 percent.

Maybe now that he’s in his 30s, Bledsoe is arriving at a new level of maturity that will allow him to maintain his composure in the postseason. He’s ostensibly the third-best player on a team that’s won 81.5 percent of its games during his second year in this system and that has to count for something. If Bledsoe can perform at a moderate standard instead of relapsing into the worst version of himself, Milwaukee’s title hopes will be substantiated.