Welcome to the 2017-18 edition of the Young Bucks Tracker. This year, we're taking a different tact. With Milwaukee now having a G League franchise, the Wisconsin Herd, each Thursday we'll either track the progress of the players who might be of help to the Bucks in the future or a current member of the Milwaukee roster. We'll also give updates on the other young players from the previous week.
This is the 7th edition of the 2017-18 Young Bucks Tracker.
SPOTLIGHT ON …
Guard Malcolm Brogdon
After winning Rookie of the Year last season, it was no surprise that Brogdon found himself as one of Milwaukee's starting guards entering the 2017-18 season, especially after starting in his final 22 appearances of the 2016-17 season, including playoffs.
However, once Eric Bledsoe joined the Bucks, Brogdon was relegated to the bench -- with the one exception a start in Phoenix on Nov. 22 when Giannis Antetokounmpo didn't play. That changed this past week.
Bledsoe remains a starter, but Brogdon took the place of suddenly cold-shooting Tony Snell among the starting five. The Bucks, which had hit something of a rough patch, losing two of their last three, four of their last seven and seven of their last 12, have won two of three games with Brogdon starting. He's had a lot to do with that.
In Saturday's win at Washington, Brogdon had 10 points, a season-high nine rebounds and two steals. Two nights later in a loss at Indiana, he had 12 points, five rebounds and four assists, and had a box score +/- of plus-2. Then Wednesday at home in a victory over Orlando, Brogdon had 14 points, nine rebounds, a season-high seven assists, two blocks and was a plus-20.
In the last two games, Brogdon made 12 of 21 field-goal attempts (57.1 percent). That's not too surprising, as starting has agreed a bit more with Brogdon than coming off the bench. In 13 games as a starter, Brogdon is averaging 15.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists while shooting 49.4 percent from the field. In 26 games as a reserve, he's at 12.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 47.0 percent shooting (keeping in mind he's also averaging nearly six fewer minutes per game).
BUCKSHOTS
-- Giannis Antetokounmpo had his streak of 20+-point games end at 28 on Monday. He promptly started a new streak Wednesday.
-- John Henson has made 50 percent or more of his shots in 12 consecutive games. Over that span, he's shooting 65.6 percent from the field while averaging 11.5 points per game. He has scored in double digits in three straight games, the third time he's done so this season.
-- Rookie Sterling Brown had a career-high 11 points at Indiana --also the first double-digit scoring game -- then played a season-high 21 minutes against Orlando, pulling down seven rebounds. He entered the week having 29 points and 15 rebounds on the season.
-- In his first game since getting a two-way contract, guard Xavier Munford had 26 points on Wednesday for the Wisconsin Herd. Joel Bolomboy, who was on a two-way, signed to an NBA deal then waived, is back on the Herd and had 24 points and 18 rebounds in that same game.
-- First-round pick D.J. Wilson played in two games for the Herd last week, scoring 24 points combined.
-- James Young, who averaged 22.3 points and 5.6 rebounds with the Herd, signed a two-way contract with Philadelphia.
