Milwaukee Bucks 2017-18 Season Review: Tony Snell

The worst of Snell

For as frustrating as Snell’s cold spells were throughout the year, and there were certainly far more than anticipated, it was the mental hurdles that revolved around him during his low points that were truly maddening.

While Snell’s week-and-a-half long injury in the middle of December may have been the root of where his inconsistencies started to show, his ever shifting role in both the starting lineup and in the team’s overall rotation exacerbated his dwindling confidence. As a result, he ultimately failed to live up to his “3-and-D” responsibilities for stretches.

Seeing Snell pass up open three-point looks to only then dribble aimlessly within the arc and subsequently record turnovers goes against the very purpose of what you want to see from the former Lobo whenever he hits the floor.

But under Jason Kidd and seemingly Joe Prunty, they were content with a more attack-minded Snell in the hopes it could help him break free of his periodic shooting slumps, only to work against them to their respective dismay.

ESPN’s Zach Lowe summed up this sentiment in his essential 10 Things I Like and Don’t Like column from late March when he touched on Snell’s struggles and the shrinking role he played at times for both Kidd and Prunty:

"“But marginalizing Snell is unhealthy in both the short and long term. The best version of this Milwaukee team, and probably next season’s, features Snell as a 3-and-D fifth starter. Both sides need to work harder to find that player.”"

No matter who ends up being the next head coach for the Bucks, which stands as an open ended question as of this writing, that all can hopefully be corrected for all involved next year.