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Milwaukee Bucks Player of the Week (Dec. 27 – Jan. 2)

By John Heffernon

Dec 28, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Khris Middleton (22) is ejected from the game during the second half against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. The Mavericks defeat the Bucks 103-93. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 28, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Khris Middleton (22) is ejected from the game during the second half against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. The Mavericks defeat the Bucks 103-93. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 29, 2015; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) drives to the basket against Milwaukee Bucks guard Michael Carter-Williams (5) during the fourth quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 29, 2015; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) drives to the basket against Milwaukee Bucks guard Michael Carter-Williams (5) during the fourth quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

Player of the Week Rankings
1. ???
2. ???
3. Michael Carter-Williams

It was difficult to pick the second and third best players on the Bucks this week. There were honestly five good options for the two spots. In making the decision I turned to the statistics, games played, performance in the wins, and overall performance while at the same time attempting to lessen my own personal biases.

Michael Carter-Williams could be exchanged with many of his teammates for this spot but I decided to go with the starting point guard for a few reasons that I’ll outline below.

MCW played in all four games this week and averaged 31.5 minutes, 10.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 2.3 turnovers, 1.8 steals, and 1.5 blocks. Along with that he posted the best assist-turnover ratio on the team, 2.56. That is exactly what you like to see from your starting point guard!

Carter-Williams was fifth in scoring, third in rebounds, first in assists, first in steals, and second in blocks per game this week. Along with that he was second in free throw attempts with 4.0 a game. He did a little bit of everything this week and made a lot of impact plays on the defensive end.

Michael played the best in the final three games of the week. After a poor performance against Dallas where had zero assists he picked his game up. In game two of the week against Oklahoma City, MCW just missed out on a triple double. He had 19 points (57 percent shooting), nine rebounds, nine assists, and two steals. Additionally, he lead his team in +/- at +10.

He followed up that excellent game with another strong performance. This time against Indiana. MCW went for 11 points, seven rebounds, eight assists, three blocks, and three steals. He once again lead his team in +/-, this time at +13. This performance culminated with a solid team performance and a excellent victory.

A good example of Michael’s unselfishness can be seen here. He steals the ball and pushes it down the floor. Instead of going up for a difficult shot he looks for a teammate. He makes a nice pass to get his guy an easy dunk. Great play all-around by MCW.

His final game of the week was not his best but it was admirable. Against Minnesota, Carter-Williams put up a lowly five points but made up for it with seven rebounds, six assists, three blocks, and two steals. He had more blocks than the rest of his teammates combined. Additionally, he only turned the ball over one time, which was important as the Bucks needed to minimize mistakes to make the major comeback they did for the win.

MCW had two really good games, one solid game, and one bad game. He started the week with his bad game but recovered nicely. He rebounded the ball phenomenally all week and played good defense too. He had three games where he played like an unselfish point guard. In those games Milwaukee went 2-1. I don’t think that is a coincidence.

Michael Carter-Williams has had some good weeks this season and this week was no different. He had a lot of competition for the third best Player of the Week but he held his own and when it was time to make my decision he stood out from the crowd.

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