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BTBP Roundtable #2: Spacing, Point Guards and Big Men

By Adam McGee

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Nov 6, 2013; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks center Zaza Pachulia (27) and forward John Henson (31) battle for a rebound against Cleveland Cavaliers forward Earl Clark (6) and center Anderson Varejao (17) in the 3rd quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

Coming into the clutch stretch of the season (and hopefully the Playoffs), how would you split the 48 minutes between the center rotation of Pachulia, John Henson and Miles Plumlee, considering skill and form?

AMcG: The Bucks seem to get a lot of shade thrown at them, but when it’s broken down like this, it’s not exactly a bad problem to have. Sure, there’s no standout, or superstar, but you’ve got three very different guys who are all solid, and ready to play. I’d go with Zaza with 25 minutes, Henson with 15 and Plumee with eight for now.

TW: That’s tough, because Zaza and the Plumdog Millionaire have both been playing really well lately, Henson has been struggling but he’s seen as the one with the most potential by many. I would continue starting Zaza and play him 20 minutes a game, give Plumlee 20 minutes a game too and give 8 to Henson at center and also let him play some power forward with Plumlee/Zaza so the Bucks can go big against teams that require it.

DG: Well, as mentioned before, it seems pretty obvious that the spacing with their starting lineup is less than ideal. As such, I do not object to Zaza holding down more minutes at the five, and giving power forward minutes to Henson and Plumlee. In fact, why not try to make Henson and Plumlee into three point shooters? Giannis Antetokounmpo and Michael Carter-Williams are so bad from the outside that even if you could get Miles Plumlee to shoot in the 20 percent range, it at least stands a threat that his defender might leave the paint to try and cover him. Heck, Jared Sullinger shot 28.9 percent from deep this season. Then have Ersan Ilyasova back up Zaza and just go small when Zaza sits – there really isn’t too much size at the five spot to worry about in the Eastern Conference. I am well aware that these roundtables just make me look more and more like a three-point shooting zealot.

JT: Well it’s hard not to ignore the historic performance Zaza just had the other night, putting up 22 points and hauling in 21 rebounds, but all in all, Zaza bas been the best big man for the Bucks all year. Between Plumlee and Henson is a little tougher to decide however. Henson is just so trick or treat that he becomes frustrating to watch when he’s getting bullied around by opposing big men, but at his best, he’s our best rim protector and a serviceable producer on offense. As for Plumlee, his sample size has been small but he’s looked good when on the floor, especially against the Spurs when he logged 17 minutes and hauled in 11 rebounds. Besides Zaza starting, I’d say ride the hot hand between Henson and Plumlee.

AL: Man, I was getting all ready to rag on Zaza and then he went out and put up a 20-20 game, breaking franchise records in the process. I think you’ve got to ride him. As for Henson and Plumlee, I’d just let matchups dictate who gets which minutes. Matched up against a beefy dude? Miles. Got a finesse big giving you trouble? Henson.

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