Milwaukee Bucks: Player of the Week (Jan 22 – 28)
Milwaukee Bucks Player of the Week Rankings
- ???
- Greg Monroe
- Jabari Parker
Moose played in all four games this week and averaged 27.4 minutes, 16.3 points (on 55.6 percent shooting), 8.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 2.0 steals, and 1.0 block per game. He led the team in rebounds and steals, was tied for second in blocks, and third in points.
Greg Monroe has found his place in the NBA. He is a fantastic sixth man. Too bad the Bucks are struggling and will likely once again keep him out of the playoffs. That might make him not want to stick around next year. Next year would be a lot of fun for him and the team if he remains in Milwaukee. Hopefully he can stay patient.
But who cares about next year or even the playoffs this year. We are talking about now. And Monroe has been pretty darn good. In fact, Moose was the one of four NBA players to average at least 15 points, eight rebounds, and two steals over the past week.
Before this year began everyone and their mother would have told you how poor of a defender Greg Monroe is. But Greg didn’t let that get him down. He worked hard, thought deeply on his limitations, and developed some defensive talents that suit both his abilities and the Bucks defense scheme.
Monroe is a master theft. He was one of just 16 players to average at least two steals per game in week 14. Not too bad for a guy who used to be a noticeable liability on defense, game in and game out. He also swatted four shots to make for a solid all around defensive week statistically.
The team seemed to play better defense with Moose on the court as well. His defensive rating of 104.3 was the fourth best on the team and the best for players who played at least 15 minutes per game.
The rest of Monroe’s game bore out like it typically does. He attempted 11.3 shots per game and sunk 6.3 of them. Moose is always shooting great percentages from the field. Couple that with solid quantity and quality from the charity stripe, 75 percent shooting on 5.0 free throws per game, and it makes for an efficient and effective offensive week for the man from Georgetown.
Greg’s rebounding was also a boon for the Bucks. He led the team in rebounds on the week in large part to his effort on the offensive glass. 16 NBA players averaged at least three offensive rebounds per game this week including Monroe. Of those 16 players only four averaged fewer minutes per game than Moose.
Strong all around performances are something Monroe puts up relatively frequently now. Everyone notices when Giannis Antetokounmpo does it but when Monroe makes it happen people rarely give him recognition. The second spot in these rankings will hopefully suffice Monroe for this week. It is a great honor after all!