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Milwaukee Bucks: How Will The Starting Five Look?

By Lukas Harkins

Mar 30, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; The Milwaukee Bucks logo on the floor prior o the game against the Phoenix Suns at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Milwaukee won 105-94. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 30, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; The Milwaukee Bucks logo on the floor prior o the game against the Phoenix Suns at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Milwaukee won 105-94. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 13, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Milwaukee Bucks center Miles Plumlee (18) does a reverse dunk in the second half at Barclays Center. Milwaukee defeats Brooklyn 109-100. Mandatory Credit: William Hauser-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: William Hauser-USA TODAY Sports /

Miles Plumlee

As site expert Ti Windisch wrote earlier this week, Miles Plumlee has not had the most predictable NBA career. With players like John Henson and Greg Monroe on the roster, it is definitely surprising to some people to see Miles Plumlee in the starting lineup.

Still, that’s where he is and the team seems to be behind him in this. During last season, Plumlee started only 14 games and averaged 14.3 minutes per game on the whole.

The former Duke Blue Devil’s numbers were pretty solid in that time frame, scoring 5.1 points per game and snatching 3.8 rebounds per outing. They may not look flashy, but when placed on a Per-36 minute scale, he averages around a double-double (13.0 and 9.6). What doesn’t show up on the stat sheet, however, is what makes Plumlee so valuable to the Bucks.

Strengths

The biggest strength for Plumlee and the Bucks is his chemistry and fit with the other players in the lineup. The Bucks are firmly set on owning the future behind Jabari Parker and Giannis Antetokounmpo. With that, the team is looking to build around those two (and Khris Middleton) in the best way possible.

Plumlee works tremendous well with both of those players, especially as a finisher in the pick-and-roll. Plumlee has great hands and an athletic ability that allows him to rise high for alley-oops or to finish spectacular dunks.

With this, the advantage of having Plumlee in the starting lineup is his small usage rate. While on the floor, Plumlee’s usage rate from last season was 15.5 percent. In comparison to Monroe’s 23.5 perecent and Henson’s 19.1 percent, this is far lower.

This is a great thing for the starting lineup because it allows the offense to mainly run through Jabari and Giannis, both of whom are well-deserving of high usage rates.

Also, Plumlee is an ideal fit alongside Parker in the frontcourt because of his ability to protect the rim. With Giannis and Plumlee on the floor, Jabari will have great rim-protectors behind him if he gets beaten off the dribble. With Miles as a versatile anchor to a defense, his athleticism contributes to the possibility of a position-less defense, which is exactly what the Bucks want to run.

Weaknesses

Although it is a positive that Plumlee has a limited usage rate, that is in part because of his lack of a post game. Plumlee does not have tremendous back-to-the-basket talent and is not a guy you can just dump the ball to and watch him go to work. In one-on-one offensive matchups, he is not very effective and that therefore leaves him primarily as a screen and roller in most situations.

This is in large part shown by the fact that over 30 percent of his shots last season were dunks. Also, 75 percent of his shots were assisted, showing that it’s hard for him to create his own shot. Still, these are things that are not entirely necessary for him, so it should not be too much of a worry.

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