The Milwaukee Bucks had an abysmal week. They lost all three of their games but there were a couple of players who still warranted featuring in the Bucks player of the week rankings.
The Milwaukee Bucks looked the part of a tanking team this week. Not to say they were not trying, because I truly believe they bring a lot of effort every night. What I am trying to say is they have just been playing a lesser quality of basketball for a consistent period of time now.
The Bucks have lost five straight and and seven of their last 10. For a team, that just two weeks ago had a realistic shot at the playoffs, that is disheartening. The playoffs are still in reach, but the chances at this point are quite faint.
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So now Milwaukee needs to gear up for a potential lottery pick. If so, hopefully they hit the jackpot.
This week was void of team success and because of that there was a void of individual success too. There were two Bucks who did enough to get themselves into the rankings pretty easily, but it wasn’t because they had incredible weeks by their standards. It was because of a lack of competition.
The third spot in the rankings was much more difficult to address. There were three ‘qualified’ players this week for that final spot. All of them did one or two things well but then stunk it up in other ways. I tried to give the third spot to the most deserving individual who impacted the game in ways that made it easier for his teammates to have success.
Let’s get to it!
Next: The Pride of Arizona
Milwaukee Bucks Player of the Week Rankings
1. ???
2. ???
3. Jerryd Bayless
Jerryd Bayless played in all three games this week and averaged 27.8 minutes, 12.3 points, 5.0 three-point attempts (60 percent shooting), 2.7 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game. He led the Bucks in three-point shooting percentage, was second in assists, and fourth in points. Additionally, for all players who played 16 minutes a game or more, he had the best plus/minus on the team with -3.3.
The former Arizona Wildcat was the most effective three-point shooter for Milwaukee this week. He took 15 three pointers and made nine of them. He was a sniper from deep. On a Bucks team where spacing is the rarest and most valuable of resources, Bayless was the main provider.
Shooting 60 percent from three is a difficult feat no matter how many attempts you try. Only two players in the NBA shot at least 60 percent from three on five or more three-point attempts per game in their last three games. Those two players are Jerryd Bayless and Bojan Bogdanovic.
Bayless contributed in other ways beyond hitting threes and giving his teammates more room to operate. He was the second best facilitator on the team and had the best assist to turnover ratio with 2.4. He got the other Bucks involved while limiting his own mistakes. That is all you can ask of your back up point guard.
Even though he is not considered a solid defender, the Bucks defense was at its best this week when Bayless was on the floor. He had a team best defensive rating of 100.8 for players who played 16 minutes or more per game.
There were undoubtably flaws in Jerryd’s game this week, just like all the other Bucks. However, he played better than most of his teammates because he impacted the game positively on both the offensive and defensive side of the floor. He was an excellent shooter, a solid passer, and did not turn the ball over often. That was enough to make the last spot in the Milwaukee Bucks player of the week rankings.
Next: The Alphabet
Milwaukee Bucks Player of the Week Rankings
1. ???
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo
3. Jerryd Bayless
Giannis Antetokounmpo played in all three games this week and averaged 35.7 minutes, 16.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.7 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game. He was second on the Bucks in rebounds and steals, tied for second in blocks, third in points, and tied for fourth in assists.
Only four players in the NBA earned more free throw opportunities than Giannis did over their past three games: Danilo Galinari with 12.3, LeBron James with 10.7, DeMar DeRozan with 9.7, and Kevin Durant with 8.7. That is some good company for the Greek Freak to be in. Giannis averaged eight free throw attempts per game over his last three.
Unfortunately for Antetokounmpo and the Bucks, Giannis only connected on 58.3 percent of all those free throws. That is a really poor stretch from a career 73 percent free throw shooter.
Giannis shot 40 percent from three-point territory this week. He only shot a modest 1.7 threes per game but that percentage looks really nice. If he could add this to his regular output he would help the Bucks out tremendously. If opponents ever need to start respecting the Greek Freak from downtown it will completely change how Giannis can play on offense.
Giannis did not lead the Bucks in any statistical category this week but he was second in three of them: rebounds, steals, and blocks. Being the second best in all the major defensive stats indicates Giannis’ importance to the Bucks. He is their jack of all trades defender. He does a little bit of everything and some games he can take over on defense.
He did not exactly take over any games defensively this week but he played steady in all three. He stole the ball a lot and got a few blocks. He cleaned up the glass at a slightly higher rate than he usually does too.
Being his team’s best all around defender, a decent shooter, and great free throw creator is just a typical week for Giannis. He did not really have an exceptional week by his own standards. Yet even in a down week for Antetokounmpo it was more than enough to earn him second in the Milwaukee Bucks player of the week rankings.
Next: Moose
Milwaukee Bucks Player of the Week Rankings
1. Greg Monroe
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo
3. Jerryd Bayless
Greg Monroe played in all three games this week and averaged 32.7 minutes, 18.3 points (57.5 percent shooting), 9.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.7 blocks. He led the Bucks in both scoring and rebounding while tying for second in blocks.
Moose shot the ball really well this week. He attempted 13.3 shots and made 7.7 shots per game. His 57.5 shooting percentage from the week is significantly better than his career 50.7 shooting percentage.
His excellent shooting did not help the Bucks offense as much as you may expect. His offensive rating of 97.4 was subpar. The poor offensive rating is especially surprising considering Monroe’s solid assist to turnover ratio. He had the third best assist to turnover ratio on the team, 1.5, of all players who played 8 minutes or more per game.
Regardless of the poor offensive rating, this was a typical week for Monroe. He essentially averaged a double-double in each game, he had a high usage rate of 23.5 (second highest on the Bucks), and a low turnover ratio of 7.1 (lowest on the Bucks for all players who played in all three games this week).
Only four players in the NBA averaged at least 18 points and at least nine rebounds per game in their last three games: Russell Westbrook, Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins, and Greg Monroe. That is a nice little list that shows just what kind of impact Moose brings to the table.
Keeping mistakes low and offensive efficiency high is the name of the game when it comes to what Greg does. He does it the boring way but he is effective. Only eight players in the NBA have more double-doubles than Monroe this season.
When there is not much variation in your game it does not make things exciting. When your team is struggling, however, having a player like Monroe is a blessing. Sure he did not help the Bucks to any wins this week but I would not put much, if any, blame on him for the losing. That is because Monroe is the undisputed Milwaukee Bucks player of the week.
Next: Week 15 wrap up
The Bucks had a bad week. They lost all their games and did not really look good in any of the three. There were some positive signs in all of the losing.
Rashad Vaughn averaged one made three-pointer per game which is an encouraging sign. Miles Plumlee had some fun moments including some big blocks and nice dunks. Chris Copeland got onto the court.
Okay so maybe I’m reaching for positive signs. The real positive from this week might be the Bucks inching closer to a top 5 draft pick. If the Bucks can add one more dynamic young player to this roster it could be just enough for them to make some genuine improvements next season while at the same time being a true boon for the future.
With the trade deadline approaching we may see this Bucks team shaken up. It appears that everyone besides Jabari Parker, Khris Middleton, and Giannis Antetokounmpo is available. I really hope Milwaukee does not trade Michael Carter-Williams or Greg Monroe. I want to see what those five guys can do together next season.
Next: Milwaukee Bucks Aren't Good Enough To Worry About Tanking
Player of the Week Rankings over the course of the season
1. Giannis Antetokounmpo (3), Greg Monroe (6), Jerryd Bayless (1), Khris Middleton (3), Michael Carter-Williams (2)
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo (6), Greg Monroe (4), Khris Middleton (4), Michael Carter-Williams (2)
3. Greg Monroe (1), Jabari Parker (3), Jerryd Bayless (3), John Henson (1), Khris Middleton (3), Michael Carter-Williams (3), Miles Plumlee (1)