On Friday morning, news broke that Milwaukee Bucks guard Eric Bledsoe would miss the beginning of the season with a fractured rib. Thankfully, Bucks beat reporter Matt Velasquez spoke to team GM Jon Horst, who clarified the injury is not as bad as it seems:
Per Bucks GM Jon Horst, Eric Bledsoe did not fracture his ribs. What happened was he fractured the cartilage between 2 of his ribs. No bones are broken. The issue is pain tolerance, which means he can come back as soon as his pain goes down. May not necessarily be out 2-3 weeks.
— Matt Velazquez (@Matt_Velazquez) October 11, 2019
This is great news for both Bledsoe and the Bucks. As long as there are no broken bones, we could see Bledsoe on the court much sooner than expected.
Bledsoe has shown the ability to play through pain and soreness. Last year, he dealt with a tender left hamstring and Achilles, but only missed four regular-season games.
As a key piece in the Bucks starting rotation, the team will do everything they can to keep Bledsoe on the court and deal with the pain.
Last year, Bledsoe started all 78 regular-season games he played in. Through these games, he averaged 15.9 points, 4,6 rebounds, 5,5 assists, and 1.5 steals per game.
Because of his defensive fortitude, Bledsoe earned a spot on the NBA All-Defensive First Team. He became the first line of defense in a daunting Milwaukee defense anchored by Giannis Antetokounmpo.
With Bledsoe out, the Bucks will likely turn to George Hill to take over temporary starting duties. Frank Mason will also see increased time, and Giannis will take a bigger role as the primary ball-handler.
Milwaukee has the depth to handle Bledsoe's injury, but the team will surely count down the days until he can return to action.
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