Projecting 5 Bucks Who Could Improve The Most Next Season
By Adam McGee
Apr 23, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Michael Carter-Williams (5) during game three of the first round of the NBA Playoffs against the Chicago Bulls at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Chicago won 113-106. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Michael Carter-Williams
It’s only a few days since I made a case that Michael Carter-Williams’ early career numbers suggest that he could be better than many people think he is, but that’s a theory that’s only further enhanced when you look at the company he keeps with the marks he’s hit within his first two seasons.
In NBA History, only four other guards of 6’3″ or taller managed to amass over 2,000 points, 800 assists, 700 rebounds and a field goal percentage of 40 percent or more in their first two seasons in the league.
| Totals | Shooting | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Ht | G | MP | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PTS | FG% | 3P% | eFG% | FT% |
| Steve Francis | 6-3 | 157 | 5970 | 962 | 1024 | 259 | 60 | 571 | 2979 | .448 | .372 | .500 | .803 |
| Walt Frazier* | 6-4 | 154 | 4537 | 812 | 940 | 2069 | .486 | .486 | .715 | ||||
| Dave Bing* | 6-3 | 159 | 5971 | 732 | 839 | 3743 | .439 | .439 | .718 | ||||
| Russell Westbrook | 6-3 | 164 | 5481 | 800 | 1087 | 218 | 50 | 542 | 2578 | .408 | .249 | .421 | .798 |
| Michael Carter-Williams | 6-6 | 136 | 4563 | 790 | 883 | 241 | 73 | 500 | 2133 | .401 | .252 | .424 | .699 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 7/24/2015.
The fact that all four of the others went on to make multiple All-Star appearances is cause for great encouragement, but even more intriguing is that all four also earned All-Star status in their third season as a pro.
Is Michael Carter-Williams capable of breaking out and following suit? I’m definitely not ready to stretch it that far, but it’s an intriguing benchmark to keep an eye on.
Even Westbrook, a darling of so many in the NBA community struggled horrifically with his shot early in the NBA. In fact comparing his numbers with MCW’s through two seasons, their shooting is incredibly similar, and in fact Westbrook’s three-point percentage was worse than Carter-Williams’.
Next: Khris Middleton