Milwaukee Bucks 2016-17 Season Review: Spencer Hawes
By Adam Coffman
The Worst of Hawes
As a relatively unathletic 7’1″ tweener without the vertical, quickness, or wingspan that usually accompanies dominant defensive big men, Hawes’ main weakness will always be on the point-preventing end.
On pick-and-rolls, he is incapable of switching onto a ball-handler for any amount of time, and isn’t quite adept at thwarting post-ups either.
According to NBA Stats, opponents shot 3.2 percent higher than normal at the rim against Hawes. For context, this number was four percent with relation to the ground-bound Greg Monroe and minus-five percent for the longer, more agile Thon Maker.
When he isn’t hitting his jump shots, as was the case during his time with the Hornets, his offensive repertoire gets trimmed significantly, as he no longer has the chance to do any work off the dribble or function as a halfway decent pick-and-roll partner.
He shot the ball decently with the Bucks, but it’s worth noting that a shooting slump, which as we’ve seen from Mirza Teletovic this season, could happen somewhat inexplicably, would severely dampen his impact going forward.
On the whole, Hawes’ net rating with the Bucks was a subpar minus-8.4, even as the team surged over the month of March. Of course, it’s hard to expect any other overarching impact from a player of his caliber.