Eric Bledsoe will start for the Milwaukee Bucks in their season opener against the Houston Rockets.
Bledsoe was expected to begin the regular season on the sideline due to a small fracture in his rib, but the Bucks point guard recovered in time to take the starting spot against Houston.
Bud confirmed Eric Bledsoe is expected to return to the starting lineup for Thursday’s opener and that Wes Matthews will be the Bucks’ 5th starter, joining Giannis, Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez.
— Matt Velazquez (@Matt_Velazquez) October 22, 2019
Bledsoe averaged 15.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.5 assists last season for the Bucks, who had the best record in the NBA and made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Bledsoe did a good job guarding Rockets superstar guard James Harden last season in Houston. The Bucks will likely have Bledsoe guard both Harden and Russell Westbrook.
In the 2019 Eastern Conference Finals against the Toronto Raptors, Bledsoe struggled. He put up just 10.2 points per game and shot 29.4 percent overall and 17.2 percent from beyond the arc. The Bucks lost four straight games after taking a 2-0 lead and lost the series in six games.
Milwaukee is once again expected to compete for the Eastern Conference title this season. For that to happen, the Bucks need Bledsoe to be 100 percent. The team also will require their floor general to improve his shooting splits.
Because superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo collapses the paint on his drives to the basket, Bucks shooters usually get a lot of wide-open looks from deep. This season, Bledsoe has to shoot better from the 3-point line.
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