Defense
Milwaukee Bucks
Even with Greg Monroe having a stunning season on the defensive end of the floor, the Bucks’ bench mostly lacks defensive prowess. Even though he is doing a better job of creating steals and preventing passes from getting to his matchup, Moose is not a great interior defender. He struggles as a rim protector, which is a hole in any center’s defensive game.
On top of Monroe, there are several other poor defenders on the court. Beasley and Teletovic are both below average defenders, and one of the two is bound to play lots of minutes during the postseason. Matthew Dellavedova has the reputation of being a very good defender, especially in the postseason, and the Bucks will need him to be “Stopavedova” to keep the Raptors’ bench in check.
Toronto Raptors
Led by P.J. Tucker, the Raptors bench crew is solid on the defensive end of the floor. According to Defensive Box Plus/Minus, most of Toronto’s best defenders come off of their bench. Tucker is the type of wing who can be matched up with just about any other wing in the league and hold his own. He has been an incredibly big piece of the Raptors’ puzzle so far this season and will continue to be the lockdown guy during the playoffs.
Although the Raptors have a potent offense that averages 106.9 points per game, their defense also has the ability to shut you down. Toronto gives up 102.6 points per game, which ranks eighth in the league, and this just shows how balanced this team is.