Bucks seek rise from Eric Bledsoe, better defense in first-round playoff series

The job of containing Fultz and the rest of Orlando’s talented backcourt will fall primarily to Milwaukee point guard Eric Bledsoe, who comes into the postseason looking to erase the bitter taste left behind by a dismal showing during last year’s playoffs.

Bledsoe averaged 13.7 points on 41 percent shooting during the postseason and struggled mightily during the Eastern Conference finals, when he scored just 10.2 points per game and hit only 5 of 26 3-point attempts as the Bucks blew a 2-0 lead to the eventual NBA champion Toronto Raptors.

Getting Bledsoe going offensively will be an important aspect of the Bucks’ game plan. With defenses likely to focus most of their attention on Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton, Bledsoe is certain to find himself with no shortage of scoring opportunities.

Budenholzer thinks the defensive challenge presented by the Magic will help Bledsoe on the offensive end.

“They have some wings who are really tough covers, coming off screens and pin-downs which I think is something Bled is really good at,” Budenholzer said. “He’ll be really active and engaged (defensively), and sometimes that kinds of turns him loose on the (offensive) end to get into an aggressive mindset and that’s what we need from Bled.”

Defense was a strong suit for the Bucks during the regular season. Their 101.6 defensive efficiency before the shutdown was the league’s best, but they were eighth during the seeding round with a 110.2 mark. The presence of Brook and Robin Lopez, as well as Antetokounmpo, has made it nearly impossible for teams to score on Milwaukee in the paint, but stopping the 3-pointer has been a problem all season long.