Tyson Chandler Would Be a Good Fit On The Bucks

In most major professional sports a player that predates Thriller is either playing out the string, pondering retirement, or a bench role player for a contender hoping for the championship that evading him during his prime.

When Mark Stein reported the Bucks could be interested in Tyson Chandler the reaction of some went like this: Chandler? He’s old. How does he fit with a young Bucks team?

It starts on the defensive end.

Defensively the Bucks did many things well last season. They were in the top ten in points allowed per game, the top five in opponent FG% per game, and were first in the league in steals per game. All very impressive and encouraging stats.

But there’s one glaring area where the Bucks need to improve…fast–rebounding. Last season they were 24th in the league in rebounding with a paltry 42.1 per game. They were 21st in the league in opponent offensive rebounds per game (11.4) and were out rebounded by .8 rebounds per game.

On a night-to-night basis rebounding alone won’t lose you basketball games. Things like fatigue, streaky shooting, turnovers, and three point shooting can swing the game for a team that’s getting woefully out-rebounded. But in the playoffs–where everyone is good (or at least not bad), rebounding will get you killed.

In their series against the Chicago Bulls the Bucks got out-rebounded 300 to 262–an average of 50 to 43.6 per game

In their series against the Chicago Bulls the Bucks got out-rebounded 300 to 262–an average of 50 to 43.6 per game. At that rate it’s a wonder the Bucks were able to push it to a game six.

That’s where Tyson Chandler comes in to play. Last season he finished fifth in the league in rebounding with 11.5 per game–nearly double that of the Buck’s top rebounder Zaza Pachulia (6.8).

Another player on the Bucks’ wish list, Brook Lopez, finished the season with just 7.4 rebounds per game and will likely command a salary between 18-20 million per season. Tyson Chandler could be had for as little as 12-14 million per season.

The Bucks could use that six million dollar difference to sign a perimeter defender like Patrick Beverly or a shooter like Danny Green.

Here’s Patrick Beverly making life tough for the Golden State Warriors.

The notion that you could sign both Khris Middleton, Tyson Chandler, and a player of the caliber of Beverly is enough to make fans salivate.

Throw in the fact that Chandler has played in 90 more regular season games than Lopez in the last four seasons (258-168), it becomes clear that Chandler is a stronger option than Lopez.

But this isn’t about Lopez vs. Chandler, it’s about Chandler’s potential fit in Milwaukee. A fit that would make the Bucks a top-ten rebounding team.

How can one player make the league’s sixth worst rebounding team a league leader? It’s simple really: center is the only position where the Bucks do not rebound well. Position-by-position the Bucks are a very good rebounding team.

Let’s start from the point.

Michael Carter-Williams averaged 5.3 rpg (3rd among PGs), Khris Middleton averaged 4.4 rpg (7th among SGs), Jabari Parker averaged 5.5 rpg (12th among SFs), and Giannis Antetokounmpo averaged 6.7 rpg (16th among PFs).

Add in the league’s fourth-best rebounding center (Chandler) and the Bucks average somewhere between the eighth and ninth best rebounding teams in the league.

Add in the league’s fourth-best rebounding center (Chandler) and the Bucks average somewhere between the eighth and ninth best rebounding teams in the league (per position averages).

Now, it’s tough to find someone to debate that Chandler wouldn’t make the Bucks a better team right now. A more pertinent question is how does he fit in with the “Own the Future” mindset.

There’s no escaping the fact that he’s 32 years old and (probably) only has 2-3 good years left. There’s also the question of his body beginning to break down with age and the Bucks getting diminishing returns later on in his contract.

Chandler’s addition would also indicate that the Bucks have limited faith in the potential of John Henson (or that they see him best suited as a bench player). Henson is at best an adequate rebounder; his 7.1 rebounds per game in the 2013-14 season would have put him in the middle of the pack this season.

So while a three year lease of Chandler would likely see Henson pack his bags, it would also give the Bucks a reasonably long time to draft or sign a more permanent solution at center.

In the meantime the Bucks would have one of the league’s best rebounders, the 2012 defensive player of the year, a 2013 all-defensive first team player, and the immediate answer to one of their biggest weaknesses.

Would Chandler make the Bucks an Eastern Conference contender like DeAndre Jordan or Greg Monroe would? Probably not. His somewhat limited offensive ability stymies that sort of talk.

But he does present a strong, sensible option and all-but guarantees a top-four seeding in the east next season.

Next: Free Agency Targets Give Insight To Bucks' Strategy

More from Behind the Buck Pass

Home/Bucks News

Why Tyson Chandler Is A Great Fit For the Milwaukee Bucks

By Jeff Herrmann | Jun 16, 2015

More from Behind the Buck Pass