The Buck Stops Here Roundtable #7: 2016-17 Predictions

Either as starters or off the bench, which player or players do you expect to surprise this season by being more important than anticipated?

Rohan: Michael Beasley is a guy who I think can outperform his expectation. However, he is not expected to do very much so that is an easy thing to say. Watching Beasley in the Bucks preseason games, I saw Beasley take and make good shots, and I saw him take and miss horrible shots. There were many instances where he could have passed the ball to a wide-open shooter, but he decided to take on a double team and miss the shot. That being said, If Beasley can provide a scoring punch off the bench and reduce his ball-hogging antics, I think he could find himself getting more minutes.

Jordan: Admittedly, it’s hard to just pick one because I think there are more than a few to choose from. Players like Delly and Teletovic were already important after they were signed in the summer, but that’s been turned up a notch in the wake of Middleton’s injury (yells MOTIEJUNAS to the heavens and shakes fist in the air). Same goes for the recently acquired Tony Snell, who will be slotted into the starting lineup once the season gets underway, according to Jason Kidd.

If I had to go with one though, I’m going with Malcolm Brogdon. I’ve been trying not to make the same mistake we all made last year with Rashad “he’s going to be in this league for a long time” Vaughn with Brogdon coming into this year. However, the trade of Michael Carter-Williams has changed that for me since it’s made Brogdon much more important playing as the team’s backup point guard.

It’s an incredibly small sample size, but Brogdon’s poise as a playmaker has been a pleasant surprise in the early glimpses we’ve seen of him in a Bucks uniform. With the Bucks needing Delly around both Giannis and Jabari (seriously, all of his minutes should be with either one or both of them), getting quality backup point guard minutes is key for them and I think Brogdon is quickly showing that he’s qualified to handle that challenge.

Lukas: Although it might seem surprising given my love for Malcolm Brogdon, but I’m going to say Rashad Vaughn. With Middleton out, he is going to see even more minutes than he played last season. He might not be a great player, but he has incredibly low expectations going into this season. He seems to be so disliked across the Bucks’ fanbase that it is hard to find anyone who is excited to see Vaughn play.

He is still just 20-years-old, and maybe he will be more accustomed to the NBA game this time around, especially considered how hard he hit the rookie wall a year ago. Even looking competent for 15-20 minutes per game would be progress, and I think he can achieve this. Sitting behind Delly, Snell, Brogdon, and Terry will give him plenty of competition and should bring out the best in him.

Tom: I am so very tempted to say it will be Thon Maker. So very, very tempted. And I do think he will have a role to play. But I think that the Buck whose contributions will outstrip expectations by the most is going to be Mirza Teletovic. He came in with the reputation of a gunner, and he did not disappoint on that front. But he also showed the ability to drive the ball, and he really competed both defensively and on the boards.

Adam: I’m with Tom on this, but I’m going to give into temptation. Thankfully both the team and the fanbase seem to have settled in at a place where expectations are incredibly low for Thon this season, and that’s the only way to approach it. With that low bar, I think he’ll impress with how he can be a defensive focal point in the second unit and maybe knock down some mid-range jumpers too.

The other player I’d mention is Jason Terry. I have a lot of confidence in Jet to continue making shots this season and to be something of an unofficial spokesman for the team both on the court and in the locker room. When J-Kidd chimes in with his canned answers about basketball players and jerseys, I think we’ll be able to rely on Jet to tell us what’s really happening, just as the Bucks will be able to rely on his impact off the bench.

Tim: This was tough. I want to say Dellavedova and Teletovic, but just from small glimpses during the pre-season, you can already see that they’re going to make significant contributions to the Bucks this season, especially from behind the three-point line. Similarly, I’m tempted to name Brogdon because I think he’s going to improve as the season rolls on and become a valuable piece of the rotation, particularly as a relief play-maker and perimeter defender. However, truly embracing the ‘surprise’ element of the question, I’m going to go with Snell.

I can’t speak for all Bucks fans, but I think I’m fairly safe in assuming that Snell has little to no expectations on his shoulders heading into the season, despite being the likely starter at shooting guard on opening night. Now, I’m not saying that he’s going to replace Khris Middleton’s output, but I do think (hope) he’s a fair chance of providing decent on-ball defense and solid three-point shooting in what should be career-high minutes for him this season. Like Middleton, Snell’s biggest strengths are the Bucks most prevalent weaknesses, so if he can take advantage of this change of scenery and fill the low-usage, 3-and-D role that he’s been brought in to play, I believe Snell could really surprise us all.