Milwaukee Bucks: Takeaways From Win Over Los Angeles Clippers
By Adam McGee
Moose’s Multiple Contributions
Greg Monroe‘s turnaround this season has been phenomenal, but nothing stands out more than the multiple ways in which the big man can now influence games.
Monroe’s scoring threat, and the option he gives the second unit as an outlet for post touches (and often baskets) have been talked about at great length, but it’s some of the other elements of his play that are equally as important to Milwaukee.
Moose gave the Bucks an incredibly well-rounded performance against the Clippers, but much of his best work came in the first half and didn’t involve scoring at all.
The former Georgetown Hoya finished Wednesday’s game with four assists, of which three came in the first quarter. Monroe’s passing from the elbow has always been touted as one of his strengths, but has rarely ever looked as effective in Milwaukee as it has since the return of friend and teammate Khris Middleton.
Two of Monroe’s dimes were dished out to Middleton on nice cuts, while Jason Terry and Tony Snell were also on the receiving end of Monroe’s playmaking instincts.
Aside from offense, Monroe has been working hard to impact the game defensively. On this occasion, Moose was disruptive in the passing lanes and two steals in his late first quarter/early second quarter shift helped to build some real momentum for Milwaukee.
Averaging 1.2 steals per game, Monroe leads all NBA players who’ve played over 50 games from the bench this season in that category.