Milwaukee Bucks: Sterling Brown season preview 2017-18
By Ben Sewell
How does Brown fit in?
In a Milwaukee team, lacking in genuine rebounders and three-point shooters, Brown appears to certainly fill some of those holes.
Last year, Milwaukee finished 29th in total rebounds and 22nd in three-point shots made. It’s no secret, that they are two of the Bucks’ greatest weaknesses, and have been for some time now.
Looking at where the rebounding came from last season, highlights an even bigger worry for Milwaukee. Jabari Parker (6.1 rebounds) and John Henson (5.1 rebounds) both finished inside the top four for rebounds per game last season.
At this stage, neither figure to be in Milwaukee’s main rotation — for different reasons — come the start of the season. If Brown is able to replicate his rebounding form from last season, it certainly won’t go astray on this Bucks roster.
Likewise, Brown’s college career three-point percentage of above 45 percent is also a huge positive for the Bucks. Milwaukee actually featured in the top-10 last year for three-point percentage, shooting 37 percent. Unfortunately, they shot the seventh fewest threes in the league, most likely due to a lack of competent shooters on the roster. Sharpshooters like Tony Snell and Khris Middleton were able to knock them down when on the floor, but once off the floor, Milwaukee struggled to find players with the confidence to actually shoot it.
This is where Brown can really come into his own on this Bucks team. He’s a confident and competent three-point shooter, who will have the freedom and space to shoot. Brown shot on average 1.7 threes from 3.8 attempts last season, showing a willingness to shoot when open. Numbers like that can only help Milwaukee going forward.
Lastly, and maybe most importantly, Brown’s ability to rotate through a position-less system will help this team when Point Giannis can take over at any given moment. At any one time, the Bucks last year would rotate almost all five positions defensively, with Thon Maker thriving in this role during the playoffs. Given Brown’s experience in this type of system, Jason Kidd should have no worries plugging him into his rotation early on.