Bucks Awaiting Arrival of Eric Bledsoe in Wake of Positive COVID-19 Test
With the restart of the NBA season less than two weeks away, teams are trying to get back up to speed in order to best prepare for a potential run at the NBA Finals. Some teams are in better shape than others at this point in time but the fact that COVID-19 has made an impact across the league, along with a lack of home-court advantage, may prove to be an equalizer of sorts.
The Milwaukee Bucks rolled to the best record in the league with a 53-12 mark when the season was paused back in March. Now, with the restart looming, it was announced that one of their starters and a veteran leader has yet to make the trip to Orlando due to the coronavirus. Eric Bledsoe, the Bucks’ starting point guard, tested positive for COVID-19 and has not made the trip to the Sunshine State as of yet. In his statement to ESPN, he had the following to say about his condition:
"I am asymptomatic and feeling fine. Once I meet the NBA protocols, I look forward to joining my teammates in Orlando."
Bledsoe has averaged 15.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game while playing in 56 of Milwaukee’s 65 games this season. He has hit 48.2 percent of his shots from the floor, including 34.2 percent from three-point range, and knocked down 81.3 percent of his attempts from the charity stripe on the year. Bledsoe hasn’t been as effective in the postseason, though admittedly his early years saw limited opportunities to put up numbers. He has played in 39 playoff games, starting 22, and averages 10.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists while playing 23.9 minutes a contest. Bledsoe hit 45.6 percent of his field goal attempts in the playoffs, though his three-point (25.5 percent) and free throw (68.7 percent) have both cratered in that small sample size.
It’s the first announcement as to who the player for the Bucks that tested positive was. Milwaukee shut down practice on July 5 before making the trip to the bubble because someone had tested positive for COVID-19 but the player was unnamed. It’s now clear who that player was. As it stands, Bledsoe will have to undergo quarantine upon his eventual arrival in Orlando. That would be two days at a minimum, much like all the other players that have made the trip to Walt Disney World.
Bledsoe’s current plan is to head to Orlando once he clears all the protocols for showing that he’s no longer a threat to pass on the disease. Clearly, it will take a little time to get up to speed and healthy enough to take on a starter’s minutes once he is cleared to play. That’s going to put some pressure on the Bucks’ bench group in order to avoid a backslide of sorts. Fortunately, for Bledsoe and Milwaukee, they have a 6.5-game lead over Toronto for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. That will give the Bucks an opportunity to mix and match their rotation guys in order to work back up to speed during the seeding games leading into the postseason.
Should he be limited in any fashion once he makes it to Orlando or end up missing one or more games, Milwaukee has a capable veteran backup in play. George Hill, who is an experienced veteran with 778 games of regular season experience and 117 playoff contests under his belt. He has averaged 9.6 points, three rebounds and 2.9 assists per game in 52 contests this season, all in a reserve role. Hill is shooting 53 percent from the floor, including 48 percent from three-point range, and has knocked down 83.1 percent of his attempts at the free throw line. For his career, he averages 11.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game while shooting 45.7 percent from the field, including 38.5 percent from beyond the arc, and 80.3 percent at the charity stripe.
