Following a second consecutive blunder in the first round of the playoffs, Bucks fans are left with a sour taste in their mouth. Adding Eric Bledsoe this season expedited the path for success for such a young core. Having a star player in Giannis Antetokounmpo, it is talked about around the league that the Bucks are falling short of expectations. With a large piece of their young core, Jabari Parker, giving mixed results in his return from his second ACL tear the Bucks are forced to make a tough decision. Their selection in the draft could be telling of what the plans are with Parker and the rest of their free agent pursuits.
BUCKS’ NEEDS/POSITION BREAKDOWN
1. Point Guard
Eric Bledsoe carried the majority of the load of the offense at the point guard position, giving Milwaukee the ‘high-caliber’ PG they had been pursuing for years.
Upon his arrival, he continued to be the explosive athlete that earned him the nickname, ‘Mini-Lebron.’ With Malcolm Brogdon coming back for his sophomore season after winning the Rookie of the Year award, the Bucks seemed to have their point guard depth at an all-time high. Allowing Brogdon to get some run in the shooting guard position.
With Malcolm going down with a partially torn tendon in his quad, the Bucks were forced to dive deeper in the depth chart at both guard positions to fill minutes for the next 30 games. During this stretch, Matthew Dellavedova was just coming back from injury himself and was being rammed into playing time that was efficient but never filled the role needed. Brandon Jennings was acquired late in the season, hoping to be a spark plug off the bench, but he did not resemble his old self and seemed to force shots outside the offensive scheme. As a whole, the Bucks’ point guard depth saw a huge jump this season with the addition of Bledsoe, but after injuries and unsteady play from the backups, it left most fans with an unfulfilling conclusion.
The biggest desire for a point guard in free agency would be off the dribble shot making, more specifically from deep. Shabazz Napier would provide above-average shooting from a backup one guard. The problem with Napier is his size, where he stands at 6’1” with a 6’3” wingspan, making him a defender who is not switchable in most situations. His shooting could make up for his negatives, especially if the price is right for the young point guard.
2. Shooting Guard
Without a dominant player within the Bucks’ depth chart to efficiently take over the minutes at shooting guard, Milwaukee was forced to run lineups with Tony Snell as the primary two-guard.
With Snell in the lineup and any player other than Giannis playing the center position, the Bucks were a combined +5.8 for the entire season. Snell was efficient as a whole on the season, but not playing in the role most Bucks fans would have hoped for. Tony Snell is a great defender and an efficient scorer but not on par with a majority of the league’s scoring wings.
Brogdon was able to play the two-guard using his size and IQ at the two-guard position. As the two Brogdon allowed the Bucks to have a secondary ball handler, opening the floor up for cutters. Sterling Brown got very little play throughout the season but seemed find his place and hit his shots, even though his limited playing time. As expected, Jason Terry was favored by the coaching staff for some time during the season. He continued to post a positive plus/minus whilst on the court and seemed to be a calming force for the team when playing.
With the selection of Donte DiVincenzo out of Villanova, the Bucks could get the spark plug the second unit needs off the wing. He was a very streaky shooter, but has the capability of shooting off the dribble and in catch-and-shoot situations. His feel for the game has grown immensely during his time at Villanova and seems to still be on the rise. His lack of eye-popping measurables may have some fans feeling lackluster on his defensive upside, but there is hope. His intangibles that could play a huge role in his development; hustle, self-awareness, and competitive drive. These unteachable skills could make up for his defensive short comings under Coach Bud.
Sharpshooters are few and far between in free agency this year but there is one prospect that would have all Milwaukee fans drooling to land. Wayne Ellington, the sharpshooting journeyman currently on the Heat has continued to be a lights-out shooter from deep. Last season he shot his highest volume from three point, while posting his highest percentage in the past four seasons. Ellington is a little old for the Bucks timeline but as a plug and play shooter he would be a perfect mentor for such a young wing core.
Everyone’s favorite Buck, Jason Terry, is an UFA this offseason and looks to come back with his young team next year. Terry provides experience and a presence of competency to a core unit that seems to run very fluent when he is on the court. This past season he shot his lowest percentage from three since his rookie season, yet has come out saying that he will shoot 50% in what could be his final season in the NBA. With a contract that should look to be around 1 mil/yr. I see there being no other option than to shoot a flyer on one of the best bench hype man in the league.
3. Small Forward
Khris Middleton stepped into the role of the second option scorer, in stride, in the absence of Jabari Parker.
He increased his scoring averages whilst also reaching career highs in overall shooting efficiency. His playmaking also seemed to shine as a wing-creator for the offense, allowing Milwaukee’s versatile guards to cut and run off screens. He is increasingly growing into a role more and more valuable for the future of the Bucks, making himself possibly worth a max.
Though Middleton took his play to the next level this year, especially in the playoffs, the backup small forwards weren’t able to take the jump he did. Shabazz Muhammad took the majority of the backup small forward minutes through the final portion of the season. His play was decent at some points but just never enough to earn anything more than his ten minutes per game would allow. Shabazz didn’t shoot a high volume from deep, but gave the second unit an efficient rate and an outstanding assist-to-turnover ratio.
Looking at small forwards in free agency, finding a 3-n-D athlete for below market value would be the perfect piece. A player such as Will Barton, who would be a versatile defender slotting in at the position-less wing spot. Will Barton has shot 37.0% from three the previous two seasons at an increasing rate is very appealing. His previous contract was a little over $3.5MM/yr. and his next contract to at least double, or even reach the Bucks’ mid-level exception of a little over 8 mil. he could have great value as a backup wing.
A glue-guy that works hard and seems to mesh quite well on both sides of the ball, sounds like a guy that should be an automatic to be re-signed. Shabazz Muhammad, much like Tony Snell last year, seemed to play much better once on a new team surrounded by a coaching staff that placed trust in him. Coming off the bench Shabazz was a microwave, putting up over eight points per game with very efficient scoring at all three levels. Re-signing Bazz for what could be around 2-3 mil/yr. on a short contract would be a great deal for Milwaukee who is struggling to find high value bench players.
Power Forward
GIANNIS. The one constant that all Milwaukee fans can fall back on, he took his game to another level for the fourth consecutive year and seems like he could do no wrong.
Without feeling like beating a dead horse, the addition of a reliable jumpshot would make the world go round for all Bucks fans. For a majority of the season there was very little depth at the four spot. With DJ Wilson the only other option while Jabari Parker was recovering, the team opted to play lineups that would avoid playing the rookie. Wilson seemed to never get a feel for the game when on the court and the coaching staff never placed any confidence in his playing time.
The return of Jabari was a huge spark for the bench unit, allowing more lineup leniency and options. Parker was very polarizing for many fans and seemed to feed into both sides of the opinions throughout his entire return to the court. His three-point stroke showed to be more efficient in the bench role, yet his defense and rebounding still seem very lackluster for his athletic abilities.
Quincy Acy is an interesting prospect Milwaukee should keep an eye on during free agency. Brooklyn seems like they might low-ball him with an offer that could easily be beaten using the full mid-level exception the Bucks could have. Acy is a solid force on the defensive end, very switchable and willing to fill a role without requiring a lot of touches. Molding his game into a hard-nosed four with the ability to stretch the floor, shooting around 35% from deep the previous two seasons. Acquiring Acy for under 3 mil/yr. is very appealing due to filling a role that hasn’t been strongly filled in over a year.
Re-signing Jabari has to be the biggest free agent decision at power forward. The young Buck has expressed multiple times that he wants to remain in Milwaukee, yet contract disagreements have caused a deal to take longer than expected. With more time to make the decision, the front office is now trying to way out the two sides. Is a player coming off his second ACL tear worth possibly a 20 mil/yr. contract? Are they willing to just let such a young star walk away, with nothing in return?
Center
Where to even start at this position? Honestly a train wreck from the beginning that just never seemed to get better as the season went on. The Bucks went through four different centers, all of whom seemed to never click with the offense or defense at the same time. John Henson played the majority of the minutes, continuing in typical Henson fashion of minimal offense and subpar defensive play. He still has not expanded his offensive play to the three-point line or beyond his four-foot hook shot.
Thon Maker took the brunt of the bench minutes, after many fans hoping he would take a leap into the starting role. Maker still shot a very low volume of three’s and was still hunting defensive stats. His play on the defensive end was the root of his -3.55 plus/minus, forcing himself out of position way too often. The remaining minutes at the center position were shared between Tyler Zeller and Marshall Plumlee. Zeller got a good bit of run at the end of the regular season and seemed to be very efficient in the paint but was never reliable for more than six points per game. Plumlee was in the same depth role as DJ Wilson, very minimal minutes with little to no production when on the court.
There are two legitimate options the Bucks could pursue at the bigman position in free agency. Kyle O’Quinn and Ed Davis both offer a strong rebounding force with reliable pick-n-roll finishing in the paint. O’Quinn is a better offensive option with very quick work against backup bigs, smooth passing from the post. Davis is a rebound focused big who could easily slide into the lineup requiring very minimal touches, doing most of his work on putbacks off offensive rebounds. The Bucks could test the market with both of these options, working to get the best deal for a quality backup. O’Quinn would be the better option of the two due to how he would easily mesh with the team, bringing a lot of strength and a lighthearted veteran atmosphere to a very skinny young Milwaukee locker room.
