Report: Eric Bledsoe Out 2-3 Weeks With Rib Injury

There’s never a good time for an injury to one of your starters, but if the Milwaukee Bucks have luck on their side, maybe this is the “least bad” window of time. Eric Bledsoe, First Team All-NBA Defender and proud signatory to a contract extension late last season, will be out for the next 2-3 weeks after suffering an oblique injury against the Utah Jazz.

As new Locked On Bucks co-host Kane Pitman points out, this news immediately puts the Bucks’ point guard rotation under scrutiny and elevates the short-term status of two-way player Frank Mason III. With George Hill as the only other player on the roster with a proven track record of playing point guard, the Bucks at first glance look dangerously thin in the backcourt.

Looking closer, though, the situation is not as dire as it may seem. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton maintain the bulk of the playmaking duties, and while they may not be “true point guards,” the position can be capably defended (in theory) by Donte DiVincenzo and Pat Connaughton. There is more than enough depth in Milwaukee to pick up the slack for short-term absences like Bledsoe’s...as long as there aren’t too many stacked up at once.

For Eric himself, a rib fracture is the sort of injury that mostly requires rest to heal, and the Bucks have historically been conservative when it comes to returning injured players to action. Expect Bledsoe to have a relatively slow return to action, and for Mike Budenholzer to get creative with his rotation until the team’s starting point guard is back to 100%.