How Greg Monroe Fits With The Milwaukee Bucks

Oct 10, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks center Greg Monroe (15) backs down on Detroit Pistons center

(0) during the first quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

The Positives

The dude can score. He shamed Chicago’s

and

in the first game with some great low post spin moves. He should be able to get six to ten points a game that way every night. This is what the Greg Monroe spin looks like, and it is rated R because it is so filthy.

The second pre-season game pitted Monroe against his former team, the Detroit Pistons. He did not disappoint, scoring 18 points and collecting eight rebounds in 25 minutes of play.

Monroe was often matched up against his former teammate/permanent replacement Andre Drummond. Drummond finished with 17 points and seven rebounds in 20 minutes of play. Monroe certainly went play for play with Drummond, who is often regarded as one of the best young centers in the NBA.

This is good news for the Bucks. Seeing Monroe take care of business against a really good opposing center means he is ready for his role as the primary option on offense.

Here is another cool play. Obviously this is a killer no look pass from

but watch Monroe. He collects the difficult pass in traffic, has great footwork to spin quickly (especially for someone his size), and puts the ball in the hoop in less than a second after he completes his spin. His speed going from post move to shot is unmatched in the NBA today.

Man, he is fun to watch. His low post moves are spectacular. Throughout the course of the season I expect him to produce some really high scoring totals. The Bucks need to feed this guy the ball.

He is a smart offensive player. We got a few glimpses of that in the two preseason games so far and the more he plays with his teammates the more it will show. Greg said this about trying to fit into the Bucks in a clip posted on Bucks.com after the game against Chicago:

"I’m trying to do my part. Getting out early, get some early post ups, kick it out, find cutters. Guys are doing a great job getting to their spots, getting into positions they should be to take good shots."

Greg is a natural passer at his position. For as skilled as he is at scoring he is very unselfish. His ability to move the ball and find his teammates in good situations is going to really make him a great addition to this team. He is talking about passing more that anything else in the above quote and his game will show his assist abilities after he gets used to playing with his teammates.

He had one assist in the first pre-season game, two in the second, and I expect more to be on their way.

In that same clip Coach Jason Kidd said:

"You can throw it in and he can get you two points or a pass. He has done that from day and you can see he is getting comfortable with his teammates and his teammates are getting comfortable with him."

Both himself and Kidd seem confident that he will fit in sooner rather than later. That is a benefit of being a selfless player, you can fit into the offensive and defensive scheme quickly.

The next positive isn’t too sexy, but it is a really important one. Greg is a solid rebounder and should help improve the Bucks mightily in that department. Last season the Bucks were 25th in the league in defensive rebounds per game. Greg had eight rebounds, six of which were defensive, in 25 minutes in game two.

I definitely expect his per game rebound average to hover around double-digits this season. Greg has a knack for rebounding. He knows how to use his body to maximize the effectiveness of his box outs, he has tracking skills once the ball hits off the rim or backboard, and once the ball hits his hands it is his rebound.

Finally, he is an excellent free throw shooter who gets to the line a healthy amount. He went 8-9 from the charity stripe in game two. He won’t make 8-9 every night, but he will make more than he misses. Additionally, he will help the Bucks improve in free throw attempts from the 2014-15 where they ranked 25th in the association.

Next: The Negatives