Milwaukee Bucks Player of the Season
Milwaukee Bucks Player of the Year Rankings
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- Greg Monroe
Moose played in 79 games this season and averaged 29.3 minutes, 15.3 points (on 52.2 percent shooting), 8.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game. He led the Bucks in rebounds, was third in points, and tied for third in blocks. Additionally, he had the third highest plus/minus, -1.4, on the team for all players who played in at least five games.
Greg Monroe was somehow both a disappointment and yet exactly what we thought he would be. He was disappointing because he did not become the elite scoring option some thought he might be and also because he played lackluster defense at times. On the other hand, he was exactly what we should have thought we were getting because his averages this season were almost identical to his career averages of 14.5 points (on 50.8 percent shooting), 9.1 rebounds, and 2.3 assists.
Even though many thought Monroe would improve the Bucks mightily, he was really just a poor fit. As I mentioned on the previous page, the Bucks were one of just four teams who were in the bottom third of the NBA in both three-point attempts and percentage.
This team had no floor spacing. When Monroe was in the game, defenses would sag into the lane to try to stop him because they did not have to respect the shooters surrounding him. In fact, it is actually very impressive that Moose was able to match his career averages on a team that was the worst kind of fit for him.
Regardless of fit, Greg made the most of his opportunities on this team throughout the season. He led the team in double-doubles by a hefty margin, with 32 on the season. Over 40 percent of the games he played in resulted in him collecting a points and rebounds double-double. Pretty impressive for a disappointing season. His 32 double-doubles tied for the 16th most in the NBA.
At times it was easy to question Greg’s effort on the defensive end this year. Many people would say that he hurt the Bucks often on that end of the floor. I agree that he isn’t an above average defender but I would like to try and at least vouch for Greg’s effort on D. Only 30 players in the entire NBA were able to average at least 0.8 steals and 0.8 blocks per game over the course of the season. Moose was one of those guys.
Say what you want about Monroe but he is a really good inside scoring threat. Maybe players like this are outdated, but teams can definitely find ways to maximize their impact. If Monroe was put onto a team with a bunch of spot up shooters then maybe his scoring and passing numbers would have been a little better this season.
Regardless of what you think of him and his future with the Bucks, it is always fun to watch him make elite defenders look silly.
He scored efficiently, rebounded strongly and played better defense than most give him credit for. Those are the main reasons why Greg Monroe was the third best Bucks player this season.
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