Milwaukee Bucks Best and Worst: December 30 – January 5

Best: A Good Kind of Point Guard Dilemma

Even though Giannis takes on much of the ballhandling duty within the Bucks’ offense, they still need a point guard, and one with a specific set of skills to boot.

Matthew Dellavedova was brought in over the offseason because of his ability to hit catch-and-shoot threes and play defense, but the Bucks found another such player in second round draft pick Malcolm Brogdon.

Drafted in the 36th overall slot, Brogdon was considered to be a good pick, but no one expected him to explode onto the national scene the way he has. He’s solidified his place among the league’s best rookies, developed great chemistry with Greg Monroe, and done just about everything the Bucks could ask for in filling the backup point guard position.

Of course, when given the opportunity to start, Brogdon took his game to new heights (we’ll get to that shortly), prompting many fans to clamor for him to replace Delly full-time in the starting lineup.

Before we look at the merits behind this potential move, let’s remember that this a definite good problem to have; past Bucks teams may have struggled to get just one guard of the duo’s caliber.

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Now, what has made Brogdon most effective – and vitalized the Bucks’ bench in the process – has been his on-court relationship with Greg Monroe. The two often come off the  bench as Jason Kidd‘s first subs of the game, replacing Delly and John Henson.

In this time, the Bucks’ efficiency skyrockets. When Brogdon and Moose share the floor, the team puts up an average of 117 points per 100 possessions, per NBAwowy. (For comparison, the team as a whole averages 109.4.)

However, when Brogdon plays without Monroe on the floor with him, this number falls to a below-average 102. Clearly, if Brogdon is to be best used, he must play alongside Moose to maximize his impact, which would mean that Monroe would need to supplant Henson as well.

This is where the campaign to start Brogdon hits a roadblock. Monroe is playing the best basketball of his time with the Bucks (as well as the best defense of his career) largely because he is given the freedom to feast on opposing bench lineups.

Putting him back in the starting lineup would only be a return to the same spacing and usage issues that crippled last year’s team, the very issue that drove many, author included, to vie for a Monroe trade.

That being said, Brogdon has been the Bucks’ best guard, and Monroe their best center, so the move may at some point in the season become viable.

Would I be surprised if Brogdon and Monroe start games this season? No, but as it stands now, it certainly doesn’t look like the right move.