Rebuild and Retain: Milwaukee Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks are one of many teams to fall victim to failed expectations this season.

After signing several free agents in the summer of 2013, the Bucks had high hopes for the 2013-14 season. They were coming off a playoff berth behind a dynamic backcourt duo of Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis. After both Jennings and Ellis decided to leave for greener pastures in free agency, the Bucks did well to nab Brandon Knight in a sign and trade with Detroit and add O.J. Mayo in the backcourt. Along with talented young prospects Giannis Antetokounmpo and Larry Sanders, the Bucks had a bright future.

Things went drastically wrong for the team that season, however, a year where they had the worst record in the NBA. As a result, expectations couldn’t have been lower heading into 2014-15. Sanders had plenty of personal issues, the team’s roster remained identical to the team that only won 15 games in 2013-14, and they had a new head coach in Jason Kidd. But with a revamped defense, the Bucks finished .500 and returned to the playoffs.

The Bucks may have been too good too early. After making a big free agent splash this offseason by signing Greg Monroe, Milwaukee was seen as a team on the rise and a lock to return to the playoffs. That’s not how things have panned out thus far, as the Bucks currently sit at a record of 20-27 and four games out of the playoffs. Outside of ending the Golden State Warriors’ undefeated streak, there hasn’t been much to get excited about in Milwaukee.

The Bucks are next in this Rebuild and Retain series going through each NBA team not considered a title contender and assessing the young players they have on their roster. Player development is key in building a championship contender, and this series looks at whether or not the young players these teams have will help them reach that level in the future. These young Bucks have plenty of growing up to do, and their playoff hopes hang in the balance because of it.

Note: Only players on their rookie contracts will be considered for this series. If a team has signed a player to a second contract, that more than likely means that they are considered a core member of the roster.

CORE PIECES

Giannis Antetokounmpo

Antetokounmpo has been a darling of the league ever since he came over from Greece. Drafted 15th in 2013, the “Greek Freak” was a rather unknown player by most. Other than some grainy YouTube footage, fans didn’t have much in the way of watching him. He quickly won the hearts of NBA fans with his funny personality and freak athletic profile.

His statistics have improved every year, just like his game. The reason everyone has been excited about Antetokounmpo is that he keeps adding new things to his skill set each year that make people think the sky is the limit for him. Not many 6-11 players have the combination of athleticism and skill to grab a rebound and then go coast-to-coast for a layup.

His instincts for someone who came into the NBA as one of the youngest players ever is outstanding. He knows when to cut and where to cut when he is off the ball. His length helps him finish at the rim in traffic at a high rate.

His favorite move is the euro step, which is impossible to stop due to his long legs and wingspan.

The Bucks have been proactive about putting him in positions to grow as a player. Since Antetokounmpo has a height advantage over just about every player that guards him, the Bucks have made a concerted effort to put him into the post the last couple seasons. According to Synergy Sports, his frequency of post touches has increased to 10.7 percent this season, up from 9.3 percent last year. In addition to the increased post up workload, his efficiency has gone up, shooting 49.1 percent (top 50 in the entire NBA) on those post ups opposed to 47.8 percent last season.

That speed and length combination can be a nightmare to defend in the post for big and small players.

Where he might be most effective is on the defensive end. The Bucks run a scheme that puts their players in a position that over helps, utilizing their length to cut off passing lanes and closeout on shooters. Antetokounmpo is at the center of all of this. Watch him stunt at the player driving with the ball and still be able to recover out to the corner and block the shooter.

The thought that his game may not have a ceiling is a reach, even if it may seem true at times. He still has yet to develop a reliable outside shot, shooting well under 30 percent from 3-point range the last two seasons. If he can’t do that, his offensive versatility will be limited to whatever develops of his post up game and cutting off the ball, which isn’t something you can build a team around. He is definitely an elite defender that the team has already developed a scheme for, but the offensive game is what might limit him from being one of the elite players in the league. A lot of this will play into whether or not he gets the designated player extension during their talks this summer.

Jabari Parker

After a successful freshman season at Duke, Parker was drafted second overall by the Bucks in 2014. While he had a decent start to his rookie campaign, Parker suffered a torn ACL that ended his first year in the league.

The good thing for Parker is that his athleticism hasn’t waned at all since returning from the injury.

Parker has flashed that athleticism in more ways than one. Not only is he getting up for more dunks than what we saw at Duke, he has a quicker first step that enables him to blow by defenders.

Parker is constantly moving and attacking. Like Antetokounmpo, he has gotten very good at making smart cuts during the play. He got Draymond Green a few times cutting backdoor in their game against the Warriors.

A lot of people compared Parker to Carmelo Anthony as he was going through the draft process. While he hasn’t quite mastered the face up game the way Anthony has, the Bucks will run plays to isolate Parker on the elbows — much the same as the Knicks have done with Anthony over the years. Since he doesn’t use his jumper quite as much, Parker goes into attack mode when he does catch the ball posting up.

It is great to see him as active as he is, especially given the fact that he is returning from an ACL tear. However, the over activeness has come back to haunt him on the defensive end. Parker had a poor reputation as a defender in college, and things haven’t gotten much better in the NBA. Instead of staying solid, he is constantly jumping around. This allows guys to blow by him quite a bit.

What has been particularly worrisome about Parker is how his jump shot hasn’t quite translated to the NBA level yet. After shooting 25 percent last season, he has only attempted six 3-pointers this year and missed all of them. Known for his lethal mid range game as a Blue Devil, Parker is shooting 27.8 percent from 15-19 feet this season. All of the negatives aren’t too much to worry about for now, seeing as this is basically his rookie season. If the defense and shooting don’t show signs of improvement in year three, however, it may be time to start wondering if Parker is going to be the type of player we thought he would be when the Bucks selected him second overall.

John Henson

Henson on talent level may not seem like a building block, but the Bucks gave him a four year, $44 million extension this past summer, showing they’ve committed to him being a part of their future.

Henson has been a steady force despite the winds of change that have swept through Milwaukee during his career there. His career 7.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game are a great representation of the consistency he has shown. There are two things that Henson does really well and you can always count on him bringing every night. He is a great pick and roll guy, and while he isn’t very athletic, he knows where to move in space and is an excellent finisher around the rim.

On the other end, he is a great rim protector, using that length to his advantage.

He still needs to grow in a few areas of his game. The Bucks don’t use him much as a post up threat because they are making more of an effort to post up their guards and wings, but he could still improve some. That could be a weapon for them in their second unit especially with the nice touch he has around the basket. As good as he is in the pick and roll, he could get better at catching and reading where the help comes from to kick to the open guy. Regardless of whether he gets better at those things are not, he has gotten very good at a few things that the modern NBA craves from their bigs. He can make a long career out of that.

UP IN THE AIR

Michael Carter-Williams

Carter-Williams may be at the top of the list when it comes to divisive point guards. After winning Rookie of the Year with the Philadelphia 76ers, Carter-Williams was traded to the Bucks at the deadline for then Bucks-point guard Brandon Knight. Milwaukee was banking on MCW improving his shooting under Kidd while using his size to post him up on smaller point guards. His length was supposed to fit seamlessly into the Bucks’ scheme that thrives due to the collective length of the team.

Carter-Williams hasn’t necessarily been the elite point guard the Bucks hoped he would be, but he looks the part of a solid NBA backup. His best attribute is always going to be his length on defense. He is the type of long player you want to stick on ball handlers to contain them. If he works hard, he can fight over screens and recover back to his man, just like he does on this block of Steph Curry.

Carter-Williams can’t shoot, and the jury is still out on whether or not he will ever be able to. A good sign this season is that he is shooting confidently when teams leave him open instead of hesitating. The results are still poor, but there is progress nonetheless. In the mean time, he is getting smart about cutting off the ball when his man sags off of him to clog a different action. He gets a bucket in this clip when his man doubles Monroe.

MCW isn’t a bad player and is worth sticking in an NBA rotation. The expectations on him are always going to be way too high since Milwaukee had a chance to grab a top-3 protected 1st round pick from the Lakers instead of Carter-Williams. He won’t ever be as talented as the player that asset will bring the 76ers one day, which is why the overall vibe around his game is negative — you shouldn’t give up that type of an asset if you don’t think MCW is your franchise point guard.

Rashad Vaughn

After one season at UNLV, Vaughn was drafted by the Bucks 17th overall in this last year’s NBA Draft. Vaughn was known for being a scorer, and the hope was that his shooting ability was going to be a nice addition to a Bucks team devoid of spacing. Vaughn hasn’t quite made an imprint in the Bucks rotation yet, only playing 11.3 minutes per game and averaging 2.3 points. He maybe hasn’t gotten a fair opportunity to showcase his skills yet, but he also hasn’t made the most of the opportunities he has been given, only shooting 29.8 percent from the floor.

It’s only his rookie season, so there is lots of room for growth. Hopefully Vaughn will get more chances as the season goes along.

Johnny O’Bryant III

This has been O’Bryant’s first year getting consistent minutes, appearing in every single one of the Bucks’ game after spending the majority of his rookie season in the D-League. The Bucks have used him as a backup forward to help juice their spacing. He doesn’t have 3-point range, but he is shooting 44.1 percent from 15-19 feet. Outside of setting a screen and popping out to the mid range, he doesn’t bring much. He can hold his own on the glass, but you can’t count on him to be solid with his defensive principles. Since this is his first season, the Bucks will probably give him another chance next year before they make a decision on whether to keep him or not.

LONG SHOTS

Tyler Ennis

Ennis may be the victim of being drafted to a bad situation. The Suns took him in the 2014 draft despite already having four point guards on their roster. Ennis was included in the deadline deal Milwaukee made with the Suns and Sixers, and he hasn’t seen much more in the ways of opportunity since joining the Bucks.

Ennis got a shot as the starting point guard when both Carter-Williams and Jerryd Bayless went down with injury. In those four games, he only averaged six points and one assist. With Bayless and MCW back healthy, Ennis has been pushed out of the rotation again, and is a good bet to get his fourth year option declined this offseason.

Miles Plumlee

Plumlee has had some success in his short career. He was drafted to a Pacers team that was a title contender and didn’t have minutes for a rookie to play. The next season, Plumlee was traded to the Suns, where he started 79 games in his sophomore season, averaging 8.1 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. The following year, Plumlee lost the starting job to Alex Len and was traded at the deadline along with Ennis to Milwaukee.

The Bucks have a log jam front court of their own, especially after adding Greg Monroe in the offseason. Milwaukee may just be a bad fit for him, and I doubt the Bucks extend him a qualifying offer this summer.

Damien Inglis

After being drafted in the second round by the Bucks in 2014, Inglis sat out the whole 2014-15 season due to injury. Inglis hasn’t played much in the NBA this season, only appearing in eight games with the Bucks. In seven D-League games, he is averaging 12.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Inglis will get more chances to prove himself going forward, especially if Milwaukee continues to struggle. With several wings ahead of him, such as Antetokounmpo, Parker, Khris Middleton, Vaughn, and Mayo, Inglis might not get a fair shake this season.

Can the Bucks own the future?

This was supposed to be a leap forward year for Milwaukee. Instead, they’ve taken a major step back. Players haven’t developed in the way that they expected and the new players brought in haven’t worked out the way they’ve wanted. With ownership’s expectation of making the playoffs, the Bucks may have to cut ties with several of these young guys and make a move for more established veterans to help them reach their goal. Either way, the Bucks are going to have to change course if the want to “own the future.”