Milwaukee Bucks: How Will The Bench Look?
![Dec 7, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks center Greg Monroe (15) and guard Michael Carter-Williams (5) celebrate following a basket during the fourth quarter against the Portland Trail Blazers at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Milwaukee won 90-88. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports Dec 7, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks center Greg Monroe (15) and guard Michael Carter-Williams (5) celebrate following a basket during the fourth quarter against the Portland Trail Blazers at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Milwaukee won 90-88. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/e2148fe90dd878022da8b8690c1a8041fcd579a9a30d95e1d27271f4589ab302.jpg)
Greg Monroe
Despite being one of the biggest free agency signees to ever come to Milwaukee, Monroe was slightly disappointing last season. His numbers stayed relatively similar to those he had in Detroit, but the impact he had on the team was not positive.
With losing Jared Dudley and Zaza Pachulia and the addition of Greg Monroe, the Bucks’ defense had a dramatic drop off from 2015 to 2016. Monroe still has time left on his contract and he will need to prove himself on both ends of the court in order to get his starting job back.
Strengths
Monroe is an incredible talent on the low block. His play style might be going away in today’s NBA, but he is still very relevant to the Bucks. With his high usage rate, the best way for Milwaukee to use Monroe would be to get him the ball down low and just let him go to work.
While getting around 30 minutes per game, Monroe was nearly averaging a double-double (15.3 points/8.8 rebounds) in his first year with the Bucks.
Along with his scoring on the block, Monroe is also a very capable passer. Although his assist numbers are not high, he effectively navigates out of double teams and often times finds the open shooter on the perimeter. With the increase in three-point shooting on the team, Monroe will be more valuable than ever this year.
Weaknesses
Defense is a huge flaw in Monroe’s game. He is not an elite rim protector and despite being a true center, he doesn’t have great size. Monroe is often times exposed by his match-up, which poses a serious threat to the team defense of the Bucks.
In his first six years in the league, he has shown very little improvement in his defensive awareness, so you cannot expect him to increase his productivity on that end of the floor.