Milwaukee Bucks: Player Power Rankings (Dec. 22-Dec. 28)
On the whole, the Milwaukee Bucks had a very solid week, going 2-1 with a very respectable point differential, showing the potential to dominate games.
Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Week in Review (2-1)
W: Washington Wizards, 96 @ Milwaukee Bucks, 123
L: Milwaukee Bucks, 102 @ Washington Wizards, 107
W: Milwaukee Bucks, 119 @ Detroit Pistons, 94
Important to note from this week in review is the total points scored and against:
Milwaukee Bucks: 344
Opponents: 297
Milwaukee Bucks Tweet of the Week:
How could you not want to see these two at @NBAAllStar!?!
Vote NOW at https://t.co/YFwrmdEbcc pic.twitter.com/geFBbj7Rme
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) December 29, 2016
It really is special to be able to see players of the caliber of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker play together night in and night out. But on top of their high level of play, it is great to see the excitement that each of them bring to the game. Basketball is about more than just the game to them, and it is evident on the court by their on and off-court demeanor, as shown in this week’s Tweet of the Week. (Also, if you haven’t already today, go #NBAVote for Giannis and Jabari.)
For the team this week, it was a pretty good overall performance. It would have been nice to be able to hold on to secure a victory on the road in Washington, but 2-1 is just fine for the week. Jabari and Giannis were once again fantastic and are both making their mark on the league. With All-Star voting having just started, it looks like Giannis will be a first-time All-Star. Will we see Jabari Parker potentially join him? That, my friends, is up to us, so let’s go vote! And yes, #NBAVote will definitely be a theme of this article.
Another player we will likely see over the All-Star Weekend, Malcolm Brogdon continues his outstanding play with some hot shooting over the last week. He continues to bring his game to new heights every single night and it seems as though a rather large contingency of Bucks’ fans would like to see him make a few starts. For my opinion, as one of the biggest Brogdon fans all season (see my previous articles on the college stud), I still like him coming off the bench. He clearly has chemistry with that second unit, most notably Greg Monroe, and we do not want to break that up.
Still, that just about sums up our preview, so let’s jump into this week’s Milwaukee Bucks Player Power Rankings.
Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
The DNPs
With two pretty strong blowouts, the DNPs actually got a fair amount of minutes this week. In fact, every player listed received minutes in two of three games, except for Mirza Teletovic, who was injured. Along with being injured, Teletovic was flat-out terrible in the one he played, going 0/9 from the field, including 0/6 from three.
As excited as everyone was when the Bucks drafted Thon Maker, he continues to show flashes of his potential in the few minutes that he plays. This time around, he was 3/5 from the field in just 11 total minutes, including one three-pointer. His tremendous versatility is already on display, and personally, I am just trying to control my excitement for the potential Brogdon-Middleton-Giannis-Parker-Thon lineup in a few seasons.
Steve Novak
PF
Last week: 2 GP: 3.5 mins/0.0 pts/0.5 rebs/0.0 astsLast rank: 13
12
Miles Plumlee
C
Last week: 2 GP: 3.0 mins/2.0 pts/0.0 rebs/0.5 astsLast rank: 12
11
Mirza Teletovic
PF
Last week: 1 GP: 24.0 mins/0.0 pts/2.0 rebs/0.0 astsLast rank: 6
10
Thon Maker
C
Last week: 2 GP: 5.5 mins/3.5 pts/1.0 rebs/0.0 astsLast rank: 10
Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Jason Terry
SG
Last week: 3 GP: 17.3 mins/3.0 pts/2.3 rebs/0.3 astsLast rank: 9
Despite a complete lack of statistics, Jason Terry continues to log plenty of minutes in each week. That being said, his lack of stats is not a bad thing. It is not as though he is chucking up bad shots all the time. In fact, the Jet does an outstanding job picking his moments, as is evident by the fact that he attempted one shot for every 8.7 minutes that Terry plays.Next: 8. John Henson
Mandatory Credit: Leon Halip-USA TODAY Sports
John Henson
C
Last week: 3 GP: 21.0 mins/6.7 pts/2.7 rebs/1.0 astsLast rank: 3
After a strong week last week, Henson had a rather weak performance this time around. Despite shooting primarily around the rim (he did step out for some Hook jumpers this week), Henson shot under 50% for the week and only contributed 2.7 rebounds in over 20 minutes. For the starting center, that few rebounds is something that needs improvement. And if that improvement is just becoming more consistent, then so be it.Next: 7. Michael Beasley
Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Michael Beasley
SF
Last week: 2 GP: 20.0 mins/7.5 pts/3.5 rebs/2.0 astsLast rank: 14
Beasley only played in two games this week, and was not particularly fantastic. He struggled from the floor, where he was 7/19 (36.8%), and as the main focus of his game is scoring, this is indicative of a poor week. This might in part be due to the injury he is coming back from, but the Bucks need his bench scoring in order to succeed moving forward.Next: 6. Matthew Dellavedova
Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Matthew Dellavedova
PG
Last week: 3 GP: 23.7 mins/8.0 pts/1.7 rebs/5.7 astsLast rank: 8
Delly wsan’t so hot this week, as he saw his minutes see a dip below those of Brogdon. Another weak shooting performance (7/22, 31.8%), especially from three (3/11, 27.3%) and things aren’t looking so good. He is still a solid passer, as he finished second on the team in assists this week, but Outback Jesus was brought in to be a knockdown shooter, not a facilitator. It should be expected that his shooting returns to the mean soon, but when “soon” is, we don’t know.Next: 5. Tony Snell
Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Tony Snell
SG
Last week: 3 GP: 28.0 mins/14.0 pts/3.3 rebs/1.3 astsLast rank: 7
Tony Snell had a very solid week this time around, showing that his shooting is really starting to come along. Aside from his remarkable few games from behind the arc, where he was 10/18 (55.6%), he was also 6/8 inside the three-point line, bringing his total FG% to 61.5%. On top of his offense, Snell was excellent in keeping his man in front of him defensively. He totaled two steals and a block during the week, but that is not indicative of his total play on that end of the floor.Next: 4. Malcolm Brogdon
Mandatory Credit: Leon Halip-USA TODAY Sports
Malcolm Brogdon
President Guard
Last week: 3 GP: 27.0 mins/10.3 pts/1.7 rebs/5.3 astsLast rank: 4
It is impossible to understate how great Brogdon shot the ball. He was 14/16 (87.5%) total from the floor, which included 3/4 from behind the three-point line. He also was tied for the lead in steals this week at four, which shows his ability to be in the right place at the right time.
Mandatory Credit: Leon Halip-USA TODAY Sports
Greg Monroe
C
Last week: 3 GP: 23.7 mins/14.0 pts/7.0 rebs/3.7 astsLast rank: 5
Along with his scoring and rebounding, Monroe showed once again that he is a great passer out of the paint. Unlike Henson, who only dished out three assists, Monroe dropped 11 dimes this time around.
This is not to mention the dramatic difference in his defensive play from last year to this, which truly is dramatic.
Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Jabari Parker
PF
Last week: 3 GP: 35.3 mins/22.0 pts/7.7 rebs/4.7 astsLast rank: 2
In fact, even his passing was better than normal. Usually someone who does not rank among the team leaders in assists, Major Cat was fourth on the team this time around, trailing Giannis and the two guards, Brogdon and Delly.
Now, CAN I GET AN #NBAVote for JABARI?
Mandatory Credit: Leon Halip-USA TODAY Sports
Giannis Antetokounmpo
SF
Last week: 3 GP: 35.3 mins/28.0 pts/8.3 rebs/7.0 astsLast rank: 1
Minutes: T-1st,
Points: 1st,
Rebounds: 1st,
Assists: 1st,
FTM: 29 (and by 22 I might add)
FT%: 3rd
He’s great, and if you haven’t already, please add a #NBAVote for Giannis.
Check back next week for another edition of the Bucks’ player power rankings!
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