Milwaukee Bucks: Could John Henson be a focal point of a new-look defense?

With new head coach Mike Budenholzer now in the fold, the Milwaukee Bucks are prioritizing a defensive resurgence next year. Could veteran big man John Henson play a part in shaping that moving forward?

For the last few seasons, the results on the defensive end for the Milwaukee Bucks were a constant talking point among those who followed the team, both on a local and national level.

Considering the over-aggressive defensive stylings that are now synonymous with former head coach Jason Kidd and his coaching staff, the majority of Bucks fans became acutely glued to the defensive system and the lack of adjustments that surfaced as their effectiveness on that end waned over time.

Despite the personnel they sport, with players as long-limbed and able to cover so much ground as superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo can, and as positionally savvy as Khris Middleton for example, it was certainly egregious that the Bucks under-performed defensively as much as they did the deeper Kidd’s tenure wore on.

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Now with new head coach Mike Budenholzer brought in to helm the franchise, the level of detail dedicated to the defensive end will run deep, though with a new level of flexibility and with a consistent track record associated with him during his time with the Atlanta Hawks.

In his introductory press conference held at the now-newly named Fiserv Forum in late May, the 48-year-old head coach was quick to point to the defensive potential assembled throughout the Bucks’ roster and how his presence could help them unlock a level of prominence on that side of the floor:

"“One of the words I used in the interview process was how can we unlock this talent defensively. I just think there’s so much to work with and you really could go up and down the roster.Instilling our defensive principles and things that we hold core to our beliefs, and I think some of them are very simplistic and the players will understand quickly, and that’s part of freeing them up to be great on that side of the court.”"

That sentiment has often been used to help peg Antetokounmpo as a potential Defensive Player of the Year candidate, look ahead to the potential rejuvenation of Middleton and Eric Bledsoe as sterling, consistent defenders, or to help pave a path for a defender as dogged and scrappy as second-year wing Sterling Brown.

When you look further down the roster, though, a player like 27-year-old big man John Henson stands as an interesting piece when it comes to projecting what his role could look like under what will be the sixth coach of his seven-year career in Budenholzer.

All throughout his time in Milwaukee and through the various consistency issues he’s routinely dealt with, Henson has proven to be, at minimum, a respectable defender, especially when it comes to protecting the rim.

And coming off a year where he crafted a bounce back campaign after experiencing back-to-back lost seasons in 2015-16 and 2016-17, Henson will surely be motivated to make a great first impression under Coach Bud and improve on the standard he set for himself last season.

Those marks include posting the second-best defensive rating of any regularly featured Buck during the regular season, as well as registering a 57.1 percent defended field goal percentage of shots coming within six feet at a 51.3 frequency percentage, per NBA.com/stats.

Now with Budenholzer and his staff looking to fashion a well built defensive system to his new roster’s strongsuits, Henson’s ability to protect the paint will certainly be considered and inform any scheme the Bucks roll with throughout next year and beyond.

As much as the focus will be placed on the switching capabilities the Bucks possess within their roster and given how successful that tactic has become around the league, having a player of Henson’s traditional, drop back and survey the paint sensibilities can do wonders when properly executed and designed.

Budenholzer even structured Atlanta’s defense in that mold back in 2016-17, as Dwight Howard acted as an anchor for what was the NBA’s fourth-best defense during that season.

Given the trick-or-treat nature of his career, that’s much easier said than done in this case and it’s obviously doubling down on Henson’s campaign last year being the beginning of him making inroads toward a more impactful level of play from here on out.

In any event, as much as the addition of Brook Lopez could prove to be a game changer for the Bucks’ frontcourt next season, Henson’s defensive capabilities could make for a great dynamic to have, especially in an area that will be diligently reshaped under this new coaching regime.