The Milwaukee Bucks will have to begin the 2019-20 NBA season without their starting point guard, as Eric Bledsoe is expected to miss two to three weeks after suffering a small fracture in his rib, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Bledsoe suffered the injury during the second quarter of Wednesday night’s preseason contest against the Utah Jazz. Bledsoe left the game upon suffering the injury, didn’t return, and was initially diagnosed with a strained oblique. Prior to leaving the contest, Bledsoe had converted on two of his three attempts from the field for five points to go along with two assists in 12 minutes of action.
“It feels like it’s not that severe,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said of Bledsoe’s injury on Wednesday night. “But I’m sure Troy [Flanagan, the team’s director of performance] and those guys will give me an update. … Just talking to Bled [it seemed positive] – I don’t know if you can trust Bled – Troy will be the truth-teller.”
Bledsoe, 29, is coming off a solid season in which he averaged 15.9 points, 5.5 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game. He also made the All-Defensive first team, alongside his Bucks teammate Giannis Antetokounmpo, for his consistent contributions on that end of the floor.
With Bledsoe sidelined for the next few weeks, veteran guard George Hill will likely slide into the starting point guard spot for the Bucks. While Hill is more than capable of running a team, Milwaukee’s depth will take a hit to start the season due to Bledsoe’s injury.
The Bucks will open the regular season against the Rockets in Houston on Thursday, Oct. 24.
Courtesy: CBS Sports
