In case you haven’t heard, the Bucks recently made some moves, with Eric Bledsoe (unsurprisingly) being the biggest departure for the Bucks. As I mentioned in the article I just linked, Eric Bledsoe was my wife’s favorite player, but that’s not the only reason I feel like I have to write him a goodbye message. While Bledsoe’s tenure in Milwaukee began with jubilation, most Bucks fans were clamoring for the team to ship him off before the Bucks had even officially lost to the Heat this fall. He deserved better. Let’s go back to the beginning.
I Dont wanna be here
Just before Bledsoe joined the Bucks, he sent out The Tweet Heard Round The World, which simply read, “I Dont wanna be here“. He had spent four years as one of the lone bright spots on the Phoenix Suns, and just three games into his fifth season (all three losses for the Suns), he finally declared his misery in the coolest way imaginable. Before long, he ended up on the Bucks (in exchange for almost nothing), and most Bucks fans could not have been happier. You can even see what I wrote about the trade after it happened and after Bledsoe’s first three games as a Buck. It helped that Bucks fans had turned on the guy they swapped for Bledsoe, Greg Monroe, but there was also a lot of excitement about Bledsoe himself.
Defensive Marvel
In his time with the Bucks, Bledsoe brought a lot of defense, perhaps even more than anyone besides reigning DPOY, Giannis Antetokounmpo. He was tied for second in the league in steals/game his first Bucks season, named to the All-Defensive First Team in his second season, and named to the All-Defensive Second Team in his third season. It’s very possible that the Bucks won’t miss Bledsoe’s defense this next season, as most people expect Jrue Holiday to bring excellent defense of his own, but I just want people to remember the outstanding defense Bledsoe gave the Bucks in his three seasons.
Offensive Rollercoaster
Of course, Bucks fans weren’t clamoring for the team to trade him because of his defensive performances, but because of his offensive performances, particularly in the playoffs. He had tepid playoff showings in his first and third playoff runs as a Buck, where his inability to create for himself contributed heavily to the team’s sluggish offense. However, in his second playoff run, he actually played very well until dropping against the Raptors, but then again, pretty much everyone except for Giannis blew it that year against the Raptors. My point is, his playoff performances weren’t all bad, though yes, he certainly did not help in any of the Bucks’ earlier-than-desired exits. If you want, you can blame him for the Bucks losing to the Heat in the bubble, but he was far from the only player who did not perform as expected.
It Gets Hot Under The Lights
More than anything, it always seemed like playing for the Bucks was very psychologically taxing for Bledsoe. Look, NBA players are not immune to the same psychological issues as the rest of us, inside the bubble or outside of it. If I may play armchair psychologist for a bit, I think that Bledsoe felt the huge target that Bucks fans put on his back after that first playoff run that ended in a loss to the Celtics, and that it affected him in the two subsequent runs. While I think Bledsoe of course made plenty of mistakes in all three playoff runs, the criticism around him got to a point that was far past any sort of constructive criticism, and people were basically just sitting around waiting for him to fail so that they could jump on it. I hope that he finds renewed success in New Orleans, and I hope that Bucks fans remember that even millionaire athletes can only take so much constant negativity. Call me a snowflake if you must.
Above All, Thank You Eric Bledsoe
I don’t want to get too lost in the weeds here, rooting through all the different statistical or narrative trends we can find from his three years with the Bucks. What I do want to do is express my deep appreciation for Bledsoe’s tenure, during which the Bucks went from promising young upstarts to title favorites who disappoint their fans with anything but a championship. This turned out being a double-edged sword for Eric Bledsoe, who became a convenient target for all sorts of criticism levied at the Bucks about their recent playoff exits. While I’m excited about Jrue Holiday and think the team is probably better now with Holiday than it was with Bledsoe, I hope he thrives in New Orleans and makes the Bucks feel foolish for letting him go.