Milwaukee Bucks point guard Eric Bledsoe is expected to miss up to two to three weeks with a rib injury, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
Per Charania, Bledsoe has suffered a small fracture of his rib. A two-or three-week absence from Friday would put Bledsoe’s return sometime around late October or early November.
Bucks guard Eric Bledsoe has suffered a small fracture of his rib and will miss up to two-to-three weeks, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 11, 2019
However, Bucks GM Jon Horst told Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Bledsoe did not fracture his ribs. Instead, Horst says Bledsoe fractured the cartilage between two of his ribs and that Bledsoe may not necessarily be out two-to-three weeks. Velazquez reports that Bledsoe has fractured cartilage in his 9th and 10th rib and there isn’t a risk of re-injury or further complications. Whether or not Bledsoe comes back sooner or later than 2-3 weeks depends on his pain tolerance.
Per Bucks GM Jon Horst, Eric Bledsoe did not fracture his ribs. What happened was he fractured the cartilage between 2 of his ribs. No bones are broken. The issue is pain tolerance, which means he can come back as soon as his pain goes down. May not necessarily be out 2-3 weeks.
— Matt Velazquez (@Matt_Velazquez) October 11, 2019
Bledsoe has fractured cartilage in his 9th & 10th rib. It's a case of pain tolerance; there isn't risk of reinjury or further complications. Timetable could still be 2-3 weeks, but he can play when discomfort goes down to minimal. Timing will become clearer in the next few days.
— Matt Velazquez (@Matt_Velazquez) October 11, 2019
The first two weeks of the Bucks’ 2019-20 schedule are an even split of road and home games (three apiece) before Week 3 begins. After that, they play seven of their next 10 games on the road, including a stretch that features dates with Western Conference contenders the LA Clippers (Nov. 6), Utah Jazz (Nov. 8) and the Indiana Pacers (Nov. 16).
Last season, Bledsoe appeared and started in 78 games, averaging 15.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game on 48.4% shooting (and 32.9% 3-point shooting). He received a four-year extension from the Bucks last season as he played a key role in Milwaukee amassing the Eastern Conference’s best record en route to a run to the East finals.
Bledsoe’s absence means veteran George Hill will get the majority of the minutes while he heals up. Last season, Hill averaged 7.6 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.3 apg and shot 45.2% overall and 31.4% on 3-pointers. In addition, two-way player Frank Mason III could see a stint with the Bucks rather than taking his usual spot with the G League’s Wisconsin Herd.
