Matthew Dellavedova’s injury-plagued season has left Bucks fans with a bitter taste in their mouths. In many people’s eyes, Delly has yet to live up to the hefty contract Milwaukee gave him.
2016-17: 7.6 PPG (39% FG, 36% 3PT, 85% FT) 4.7 APG, 1.9 RPG, 76 games played, 54 starts
2017-18: 4.3 PPG (36% FG, 37% 3PT, 92% FT), 3.8 APG, 1.7 RPG, 38 games played, 3 starts
Delly isn’t a stat-sheet stuffer. We’ve known this. If you look at his traditional stats and try to judge his play, you’ll be sorely disappointed. His effect goes deeper than that.
This season, however, his impact was minimal. Missing 51 games will tend to do that. But, his ability to facilitate offense is still a need for the Bucks. Despite his flaws and limitations, Dellavedova is an effective NBA player.
In 2016-17, playing a full season, Delly had a 2.68 assist-to-turnover ratio. While this isn’t other-worldly, it is extremely solid. This year, he upped that ratio to 2.96; very reliable numbers from a backup point guard. The emergence of Brogdon, and the acquisition of Bledsoe, have slotted Dellavedova into the role he is best suited for.
Even still, Delly had some good games for the Bucks this season. In a December 29th match-up with Oklahoma City, Delly scored 0 points in 25 minutes, but dished out 9 assists with 0 turnovers, and Milwaukee won by 2. In the three games following that, two losses to Toronto and a win over Indiana, Dellavedova totaled 26 assists to just 3 turnovers.
For that four game stretch, in the middle of the season, Delly averaged 8.8 assists and less than 1 turnover per game. This isn’t a sign of something sustainable for an entire season, but it shows the value he brings to each and every game.
A back-up point guard who takes care of the ball, defends with energy and effort, and has been a part of a championship team – that’s who Matthew Dellavedova is. It’s fair to be critical of the amount of money Milwaukee still owes him ($19 million over the next two years). But I don’t think it’s reasonable to criticize his play; he has been fairly consistent, even with injury problems this season.
If Delly is still on the Bucks roster next season, Milwaukee can go to their bench knowing they will get consistent and reliable play from the point guard position. That’s a really rare thing in the NBA.
