Account
Bucks' Eric Bledsoe Out 2 Weeks; Leg Injury Diagnosed as Avulsion Fracture
December 15, 2019
Milwaukee Bucks point guard Eric Bledsoe is expected to miss around two weeks after his right leg injury was diagnosed Saturday as a fibula avulsion fracture.
Bledsoe has averaged 15.0 points on 47.7 percent shooting and 5.7 assists for the 24-3 Bucks. He had 15.9 points on 48.4 percent shooting and 5.5 assists for Milwaukee last year.
The 30-year-old only missed four games last season. He sat for Achilles soreness on Feb. 2 before resting a sore back on March 2. He rested on March 31 and April 10.
Bledsoe has enjoyed a successful stint in Milwaukee after going through seven-plus tumultuous seasons to start his NBA career.
The Los Angeles Clippers drafted him in the first round, but he had trouble carving out playing time behind All-Star point guard Chris Paul.
The Clips traded Bledsoe to the Phoenix Suns in 2013. On the plus side, Bledsoe received more playing time and averaged 17 or more points per game in each of his four full seasons in Phoenix. However, Bledsoe suffered meniscus injuries during the 2013-14 and 2015-16 seasons and missed 90 combined games during those campaigns.
The Suns also struggled at the tail end of Bledsoe's tenure, with the team going just 24-58 in 2016-17. He was traded to the Bucks in November 2017 and helped form a scrappy team that nearly picked off the No. 2 seed Boston Celtics in the 2017-18 playoffs.
Milwaukee made the leap last season, however, going 60-22 and reaching the Eastern Conference Finals, and currently has the league's best win-loss record to this point this season.
The Bucks are going to have to find a way to move on without Bledsoe for now, though.
Veteran floor general George Hill could take over for Bledsoe, or at least see more playing time off the bench. The 33-year-old, who was acquired from the Cleveland Cavaliers in a 2018-19 midseason trade, is averaging 9.5 points and 3.2 assists in 21.4 minutes per game.
Milwaukee may also opt against inserting a traditional point guard in the lineup, as Khris Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo are capable of bringing up the ball.