Projecting 5 Bucks Who Could Improve The Most Next Season
By Adam McGee
Apr 15, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks center John Henson (31) takes a shot against Boston Celtics forward Jared Sullinger (7) in the second quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
John Henson
Middleton may have already gotten his new contract, but John Henson is reported not to be far behind him in those stakes with an extension of his own expected to be on the way in the coming days.
Henson can be a divisive figure for Milwaukee fans though. He has undeniable talent, particularly on the defensive end of the floor, but has been guilty of inconsistency throughout his first three seasons and as a result has not always been afforded great opportunities.
Still, Henson is yet another player who stands in elite company. Only seven other big men of 6’11” or taller found themselves in a similar bracket of production to Henson through three seasons. By that I’m referring to over 1,600 points, 1,100 rebounds, 250 blocks and a field goal percentage of 53 or higher.
| Totals | Shooting | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Ht | G | MP | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | FG% | FT% |
| David Robinson* | 7-1 | 232 | 8661 | 2875 | 553 | 423 | 944 | 5672 | .544 | .735 |
| Shaquille O’Neal | 7-1 | 241 | 9218 | 3095 | 561 | 209 | 709 | 6585 | .583 | .558 |
| Marc Gasol | 7-1 | 232 | 7576 | 1814 | 508 | 206 | 335 | 2934 | .545 | .715 |
| Dale Davis | 6-11 | 212 | 5857 | 1851 | 199 | 138 | 328 | 1893 | .549 | .538 |
| Gheorghe Muresan | 7-7 | 203 | 4612 | 1408 | 112 | 128 | 347 | 2138 | .570 | .656 |
| James Donaldson | 7-2 | 232 | 4479 | 1300 | 190 | 54 | 314 | 1748 | .584 | .640 |
| Duane Causwell | 7-0 | 211 | 5221 | 1274 | 163 | 128 | 450 | 1614 | .534 | .623 |
| John Henson | 6-11 | 200 | 3911 | 1106 | 203 | 88 | 293 | 1629 | .531 | .537 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 7/24/2015.
Of course, nobody could really expect Henson to come out on the high end of this scale, among players who comfortably exceeded those marks such as David Robinson, Shaquille O’Neal and Marc Gasol.
If Henson was to become a really top class role playing big man like either Dale Davis or James Donaldson were, that would give the Bucks an exceptionally valuable piece moving into the future though.
Neither of those guys were transformative talents, but they both went through spells of averaging double-doubles in their career and were rewarded with an All-Star appearance each. Henson could do a lot worse than follow their lead.
Next: Tyler Ennis