Milwaukee Bucks 2016-17 Season Review: Spencer Hawes
By Adam Coffman
The Best of Hawes
Over his 19 regular season games with the Bucks, Hawes averaged 4.4 points and 2.4 rebounds on 51 percent shooting over nine minutes per game. During the playoffs, he played just 17 minutes over three games, scoring five points.
His main attraction is his three-point shooting. Hawes has hit from deep at a 35 percent clip for his career, and he maintained that in a Bucks uniform. These looks come almost exclusively off of drive-and-kick opportunities or pick-and-pops at the top of the key.
True stretch fives are still a rare breed in the modern NBA, but they can be utilized best with a skilled penetrator who will consistently draw opposing bigs to help down into the paint, freeing the center for a jumper.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is just this type of player, boosting Hawes’ net rating by almost nine points when they share the floor. Remember, this is all in a very short time, over which Hawes did not have much opportunity to develop on-the-floor cohesion with his new teammates.
Despite his physical limitations on defense (more on that to come), Hawes has a cache of veteran knowledge that he leverages on the defensive end. He’s not afraid of mixing it up with opponents either, functioning as somewhat of a provocateur or enforcer at times.
Hawes’ presence was also a large factor behind John Henson‘s disappearance from the rotation, as there just weren’t minutes available for four centers.
You can’t ask him to do too much, but Hawes became somewhat of a fan favorite due to his professionalism, and never drawing accusations of giving less than his all, which is sometimes all that you need.