The Milwaukee Bucks needed a wing player, but Milwaukee got more than anticipated when the Bucks acquired Tony Snell just before the season.
The overarching theme around Milwaukee Bucks twitter when news broke that the team traded Michael Carter-Williams for Tony Snell was that of boredom. Snell was an obvious temporary replacement for Khris Middleton, who would miss a good chunk of the regular season with a hamstring tear.
It was a good move considering fit, but Snell wasn’t a cause to jump for joy back then. His career with the Chicago Bulls was quiet, and that’s putting it delicately. The former 20th overall pick had only shot over 40 percent once in three seasons with Chicago, and his best scoring season saw him average six points per game.
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To say that Snell outplayed his expectations this season would be a massive understatement. It speaks enough to his performance as a Buck across the season that even when Middleton came back, Milwaukee kept Snell as a starter, although the injury to Jabari Parker certainly played a role in that as well.
Still, Snell deserves credit for a terrific season as a role player. Snell will be getting paid in a few months, when he enters restricted free agency. Shooters are at a premium in the NBA right now, meaning it will cost to keep Snelly in Milwaukee.
To fairly evaluate Snell’s 2016-17 campaign, it’s important to look both at what he did best and what he did worst all season long. Taking a look at Snell’s best game and then seeing what his summer focus should be will help examine his year, plus look forward to the next one.