Milwaukee Bucks: Players who could benefit most from Mike Budenholzer

Honorable Mentions: Matthew Dellavedova and Tyler Zeller

Matthew Dellavedova

Matthew Dellavedova has been considered a disappointment by many since his arrival in Milwaukee, due in large part to the $9.6 million he is owed each of the next two seasons.

In all fairness to Dellavedova, he has largely played as advertised for the Bucks by taking care of the ball, getting teammates involved, and bringing his usual brand of gritty and agitative defense.

The main knock against him comes from his shooting numbers since joining the team. His three-point percentage has dropped significantly from 40.7 percent and 41 percent in his last two seasons with the Cavaliers to 36.7 percent and 37.2 percent in his first two seasons with the Bucks.

One cause of this regression could be from the lack of rhythm and consistent looks generated by Jason Kidd’s stagnant offensive system. Limited movement off the ball did little to afford quality looks to shooters who lack the ability to create for themselves like Delly.

Mike Budenholzer’s offenses in Atlanta thrived with off ball movement and off-the-ball action. Bringing a similar offensive mentality to Milwaukee could help Delly return to his past shooting form and bring a little extra firepower off the bench.

Tyler Zeller

While Tyler Zeller has not met the ire of Bucks fans like Delly has, there is certainly room for him to improve upon the respectable yet short stint he put to together as a member of the Bucks this past season.

When the Bucks acquired Zeller from the Brooklyn Nets midway through the season, it was thought of at the time as nothing more than a cheap way to shore up their center depth with Thon Maker suffering from a sophomore slump for most of the year.

However, the Bucks may have completed a sneaky good acquisition in Zeller who is owed just $1.9 million next season. In the right scheme, Zeller has shown he can be a valuable contributor in either a starting or bench role as he showed during his tenure in Boston.

While Mike Budenholzer is no Brad Stevens, he has shown the ability to work with similarly-skilled big men like Mike Muscala, who like Zeller have shown the ability to spread the floor and even step out from beyond the arc from time to time.

If Bud’s offensive scheme can capitalize on Zeller’s ability to knock down open looks, the Bucks could stumble upon a new wrinkle to their offense which they have previously only seen flashes of with Thon Maker on the court.