The Milwaukee Bucks have an embarrassment of riches on the wing, as they feature half a dozen players who can make a case for postseason minutes.
That wasn’t always the case. Heck, that wasn’t even the case when the season began. Milwaukee used their 2022 first-round draft pick on MarJon Beauchamp and signed A.J. Green to a two-way contract, partly because of their lack of depth on the wing when the season began.
If we rewind the calendar five months to October on opening night, the Bucks’ wing rotation consisted of Grayson Allen, Wes Matthews and Jordan Nwora. It was the same trio two weeks later, with Beauchamp getting some run. Their most recent game against the Toronto Raptors featured Khris Middleton, Allen, Pat Connaughton and Joe Ingles getting the minutes.
It’s safe to say life on the wing has drastically changed for Milwaukee since then. Middleton has returned, twice, and is now in the starting lineup, ramping his way closer to postseason conditioning. Ingles and Connaughton have also returned from injuries that cost them the beginning of the season. After months of flirting with the idea, Milwaukee finally traded for Jae Crowder.
The depth puts head coach Mike Budenholzer in a dangerous position come playoff time. Choices! He’ll have lot of choices and no P.J. Tucker to advise him along the way (I’m joking, mostly). What they lack in elite talent, they make up for in diverse and specialized skillsets.
Assuming there are 96 minutes for him to hand out at the 2 and 3 (give or take some of the jumbo and small-ball lineups he’ll employ), let’s review the six players Budenholzer has to craft his playoff rotation from (not including the rookies), what they bring to the table and how many minutes they could be looking at. To be clear, this should all be matchup dependent and could vary from series to series.
Khris Middleton
Middleton is the one player who is locked into his role regardless of opponent. He’s been ramping up his minutes lately and is creeping into the low-to-mid 30s. Hopefully, he’s ready to hit the high 30s in three weeks when the NBA season ends.
He averaged between 38-42 minutes per game during the high-leverage series in past postseason runs, and there’s no reason he shouldn’t see that much playing time as long as his body is up to the challenge. The Bucks’ offense has been humming since he returned and he’s the key to unlocking them on that end of the court.
Jae Crowder
I assume the Bucks didn’t trade five second-round picks for Crowder just to sit him in the postseason. His role in the rotation is probably the second-safest after Middleton. But how many minutes does that mean? If we pencil Middleton in for 38, Crowder’s floor is probably around 20 minutes per game. That could rise all the way to 28 minutes if he assumes the Wes Matthews role from last year.
Joe Ingles
Ingles’ playing time will be greatly dependent on defensive matchups. He’s a liability on that end of the floor where he’s slow laterally and will get targeted. However, his ability to create offense in the halfcourt is extremely valuable, especially since the Bucks have struggled offensively in the playoffs every season under Budenholzer. I will also pencil him in for 20 minutes, which could rise or drop by five minutes depending on the opponent.
Pat Connaughton
For those keeping track at home, that gives us at least 78 of the 96 wing minutes accounted for and three players remaining. Budenholzer will use a three-man big rotation and likely use two players at point guard (Jrue Holiday and Jevon Carter). If we count the three wings already covered, that gives the Bucks an eight-man playoff rotation. It’s hard to imagine they play too many more guys than that.
Connaughton has been a regular part of their playoff rotation in past years, proving adaptable to different schemes and teams. However, he’s struggling with his offensive game this season and is a liability at that end of the court. That could impact his ability to earn regular playing time come April and beyond.
Grayson Allen
Allen will be an extremely interesting case study. He’s started 63 games this season, averages a career-high 27.8 minutes per game and is a 40 percent three-point shooter. He provides much-needed spacing for Holiday, Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo. He can also be a defensive liability. Will that impact his playoff performance for a second-straight season?
Wesley Matthews
Don’t sleep on Matthews. He averaged over 28 minutes per game in last season’s postseason run and still looks spry enough to contribute. He works extremely hard on defense and matches up well with the likes of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and James Harden. He could be Budenholzer’s secret weapon when they need stops down the stretch of a game.
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March 21, 2023 at 07:00PM
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Milwaukee Bucks Have Difficult Decisions To Make On The Wing - Forbes
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