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Milwaukee Bucks: Jason Terry’s veteran presence was more than a buzzword

By Ti Windisch

Apr 15, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Milwaukee Bucks guard Jason Terry (3) prior to the start of game one of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs between the Milwaukee Bucks and Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre. Milwaukee defeated Toronto 97-83. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 15, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Milwaukee Bucks guard Jason Terry (3) prior to the start of game one of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs between the Milwaukee Bucks and Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre. Milwaukee defeated Toronto 97-83. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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While his leadership helped too, Jason Terry provided the Milwaukee Bucks with a lot more than pep talks in his first season with the team.

When the Milwaukee Bucks signed Jason Terry last summer, it felt like a last-minute move to add veteran presence, one of Milwaukee’s favorite buzzwords at the time, to the young Bucks roster.

After all, the 39-year-old guard wasn’t expected to be a major contributor on the Bucks. Of course, several months later JET ended up being an integral part of one of the most fun comeback runs in recent memory in Game 6 against the Toronto Raptors.

Terry’s contributions to Milwaukee were not limited to that one game, however. No Buck who played more than 1,000 regular season minutes had a better plus-minus than the JET. Milwaukee outscored opponents by 4.7 points per 100 possessions with Terry on the floor.

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Giannis Antetokounmpo is unquestionably the best Buck, but Giannis lineups outscored opponents by just 1.5 points per 100 possessions. That doesn’t mean Terry was better–there’s a lot of noise in any statistic that takes every player on the floor into account–but it does mean that the Bucks benefitted from having Terry on the court.

When using plus-minus to mean more than nothing, it’s usually a good idea to look at both sides of it. The Golden State Warriors, for example, have a good plus-minus with just about anybody on the floor.

Looking at their off-court numbers is more telling. The Dubs, a historically-good basketball team, outscored opponents by just 1.0 points per 100 possessions without Stephen Curry on the floor last season, worst among all Warriors. That number means more than the double-digit margin the Warriors outscored opponents by with any of seven Dubs on the floor.

The Bucks got outscored by 1.7 points per 100 possessions without Terry, the third-worst mark for the team. Milwaukee was only worse when the team was without Giannis or Greg Monroe on the floor.

There are a few conclusions that can be drawn from those numbers. The first is that Terry was worth more to Milwaukee than his 4.1 points per game number would suggest to someone unfamiliar with the team.

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That veteran presence is so valued for a reason, after all. JET spaced the floor by shooting 44.4 percent from deep in the regular season, but his vocal communication on both offense and defense likely had more to do with his great plus-minus numbers than his 0.4 made three-pointers per game.

According to his own words, Terry would like to return to the Bucks next season. His age is always going to be a concern, but even in an increased role with Khris Middleton out for much of the regular season Terry held up for the most part.

It’s likely the JET will be working on exclusively veteran minimum contracts at this point in his career, meaning he’s exceedingly affordable for the Bucks. Even if his play does decline slightly, the energy Terry brought to each and every game he checked into might be worth his contract.

I can’t remember the last time a Buck went out of their way to get the home crowd involved like Terry did last season. The result was the best home atmosphere Milwaukee has seen in years, if not longer, and loud enough fan support for Raptors head coach Dwane Casey to comment on it multiple times.

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JET provided the Milwaukee Bucks with more than just veteran presence last season, but even if his on-court contributions fall off somewhat he’s worth bringing back, especially considering the cost compared to other players on the Bucks roster.

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