Milwaukee Bucks Twitter Mailbag: Lineups, Trades, Playoffs?

In our latest Milwaukee Bucks Twitter Mailbag, we address trade proposals, playoff chances, ideal starting lineups and more.

The Milwaukee Bucks Twitter Mailbag is back for another week!

As we’ve done in the past, this weekly mailbag post will run in addition to the one featured on the Win in 6 Podcast in order to connect even further with the Behind the Buck Pass readership.

This week, after the Bucks triumphantly returned above .500 (13-12) with consecutive resounding wins over the Chicago Bulls , we opened the floor to all your best Bucks questions, hot takes and predictions.

If you happened to miss out this week and have a burning Bucks question, be sure to follow @BehindTheBucks on Twitter to keep an eye out for the Win in 6 Podcast mailbag on Sunday’s or to submit questions for this write-up on either Thursday or Friday nights.

Now, let’s get to the questions!

I think it’s an interesting hypothetical. There’s no doubt that Gortat is a solid player who could fit really well in the Bucks system on both sides of the ball, particularly by creating a presence in the post and as an effective roll man. My reservation is that I still have serious doubts over whether the Bucks could actually make that trade, assuming that they’re attempting to offload a center themselves. The big question is value, and although Greg Monroe and John Henson have been much better this season, I’m still not sure there’s a massive market for them.

As Matt Moore mentioned, I think a move like this is going to come out of desperation and that’s likely the Bucks’ best chance at moving a center, although the issue isn’t necessarily resolved by acquiring another big man anyway.

The Bucks are a decent young team, but the problem with being young is that you generally struggle on the road. In terms of per 100 possessions, the Bucks are more than 12 points better at home than they are on the road, which is the biggest differential in the NBA. Despite being an above-average team at home, this is still a very concerning statistic.

Whilst the Bucks have had some quality wins (and near-wins) at home, they’ve had some horrendous performances on the road against sub-.500 teams. Although I’m hesitant to call Milwaukee a playoff team just yet, if they can continue to protect their home floor and improve their performance on the road against the lesser teams, they should be in the mix come late-March.

Admittedly, we probably haven’t seen as much of the ‘true’ Point Giannis (on the ball every possession, bringing it up the floor and then initiating the offense) that we were expecting coming into this season, but it hasn’t been all that bad, just look at his ridiculous numbers and the Bucks better than expected .500 record. If anything, I think Delly’s calming influence at point guard has generally had a positive impact on the team’s ball movement and ability to find better looks, particularly from deep, in their half-court offense.

Moving forward, I think it’s going to be a luxury for the Bucks to have two guys in the starting lineup who are so good at moving the ball and initiating the offense, particularly because it also allows Giannis to attack the rim as a roll man. On that, as we witnessed down the stretch against the Bulls on Thursday night, the Delly-Giannis pick-and-roll (or lob) is really scary for the opposing defense, and probably only going to become a more potent offensive weapon for the Bucks in the future.

Ideally, both of Jabari’s percentages head in a northward direction, but if I can only have one, I think I’m willing to trade a couple of free throw points (currently 73.8% on 79/107 FTA – already down from 76.8% last season on more attempts) to bump up his three-point percentage closer to a consistent 38-40% (currently 36.7% on 29/79 3PA). I just think if Jabari becomes a reliable marksman from outside, he’s able to space the floor and become a much more natural fit for the Bucks going forward and his potential superstar ceiling rises at least 10 storeys.

Obviously Khris Middleton is out for a majority, if not all, of the season, but I think the Bucks have their starters and bench groups fairly spot on so far. It’s been great to see some consistency in the center rotation, although that means that Miles Plumlee has essentially become a $12.5 million paper weight. John Henson has finally secured the starting role and is making a positive impact with fairly solid defense and much improved free throw shooting. Likewise, Monroe has been excellent off the bench and somehow has a better net rating than Giannis (WHAT!).

Depending on Tony Snell‘s contract situation going into next summer, I think he’s filled his three-and-D role nicely as a starter so far this season, but will be much more effective as Khris Middleton’s back-up in the future. In general, the bench unit has been very good so far, especially thanks to the #savvy play of Malcolm Brogdon and offensive spark from Michael Beasley. Probably the only question I’d raise is why Mirza Teletovic (despite the defensive concerns) has seen such inconsistent minutes, considering he shoots over 40% from three, taking more than five triples a game.

Next: Chronicling Oshkosh’s Case For The D-League Team

Thanks for all of the great questions, everybody! Don’t forget to shoot us a tweet @BehindTheBucks to have your queries answered on next week’s Milwaukee Bucks Twitter Mailbag.