Milwaukee Bucks: Greg Monroe season preview 2017-2018

What Monroe Offers

Monroe will enter this season as the most experienced Buck receiving significant minutes on a nightly basis. Off the court, he will be a stabilizing force and a good presence to have around such a young roster.

While his leadership and intangibles are important, what he offers on the court is just as vital.

He is the Bucks’ best rebounder. Last season, according to NBA.com, he had the highest rebounding percentage on the team and averaged 10.5 total rebounds per 36 minutes. While that is not in the Andre Drummond, DeAndre Jordan category, it’s solid and with a team that rebounds as poorly as the Bucks, key to the team’s success.

He also provides the Bucks with a scoring punch off the bench. Last season, Monroe averaged 18.8 points per 36 minutes on an effective field goal percentage of 53.5 percent. The next closest bench player in terms of points was Matthew Dellavedova, who averaged just 10.5 points per 36 minutes with an effective field goal percentage of just 46.3 percent.

While low-post scoring is Monroe’s best offensive skill-set, he is also a very talented passer. Developing his game in Georgetown, where low-post passing is a large part of the offense, Monroe has been a talented passer since he entered the league. Besides his rookie season, Monroe has averaged at least two assists per game in every season. Last season Monroe averaged 2.2 assists per game, good enough for sixth on the team.

Defensively, Monroe is not quite the player he is on offense. He lacks the explosion, lateral quickness, and elite athleticism needed to be an elite or even above-average rim protector. However, last season he showed a new focus and energy, proving he does have the ability to be respectable on that end of the floor. With the other positives Monroe brings to the court respectable should be good enough.