How Greg Monroe Fits With The Milwaukee Bucks

Oct 10, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Detroit Pistons guard

dribbles the ball as Milwaukee Bucks center Greg Monroe (15) defends during the third quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

The Negatives
Even though Monroe is unselfish and will do what he can to help the team win, he isn’t a plus defender. He still struggles on that end. He needs to continue to learn the defense and improve his timing. Once he figures out where he needs to be at all times he can assume the Zaza Pachulia role defensively.

Zaza was never been a premier defender in his NBA career but did exactly what he needed to last year. I think Monroe has the athleticism and basketball IQ to do just that. He can position himself effectively and get in the way of people. Monroe has to work on his fouls. He collected two in the first half. Once he learns the defense his performance on that end of the floor will improve.

His jumper is still not his friend. He took a 19 footer in the first game and missed. Additionally, he attempted a 21 footer in the second game and missed. We don’t need him shooting that far away from the hoop but if he could stretch his range out to 15 feet that would add another dimension to his offensive game and help stretch the floor for a team that will have a hard time stretching it.

Sadly, it doesn’t appear that Greg’s jumper is going to improve mightily before the start of the season. His off-season was filled with his free agency and incorporation into the Bucks lineup so he didn’t have the requisite time to work on his jump shot. Perhaps next year he can focus on his shot and improve it to stretch the defense.

Next: Net Impact