Milwaukee Bucks: Can Malcolm Brogdon improve further as a three-point threat?

After adding new wrinkles to his three-point shooting arsenal in 2017-18, can Malcolm Brogdon improve further in that department with the Milwaukee Bucks next season?

Following up on a surprising Rookie of the Year season was never going to be easy for Malcolm Brogdon, but considering he had to deal with a lengthy spell on the sidelines, there was plenty to be encouraged by when he did take to the floor.

Brogdon continued to show his value as a versatile combo guard capable of slotting into the starting lineup or coming off the bench, even though he was one of many players who likely suffered from how frequently his role was changed by the coaching staff last season.

The arrival of Eric Bledsoe reduced the need for Brogdon to play as much point guard as he did in his rookie season, and with more time spent off-the-ball, scoring became more of a priority for the former Virginia Cavalier too.

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There was good news on that front as Brogdon jumped from 10.2 to 13.0 points per game in similar minutes, while also improving his shooting with his field goal percentage jumping from 45.7 to 48.5 percent on two extra attempts per game.

As a 40.4 percent three-point shooter in his rookie season, Brogdon’s range was already established as one of his more valuable weapons heading into last year. Although Brogdon’s efficiency from deep dropped off a little to land at 38.5 percent, that still very respective mark was accompanied by some other positives in the Atlanta native’s overall approach from distance.

Most obviously, Brogdon upped his long ball attempts from 2.6 to 3.4 per game. Beyond that, though, what was most interesting about his second year three-point shooting was the increased range of attempts and their difficulty.

The standout in that regard was the combo guard’s newfound penchant for shooting on the move and off the dribble.

As a rookie, Brogdon attempted 190 triples and 148 of them came via catch-and-shoot opportunities, where he made an impressive 44.6 percent. In total, that made for 77.8 percent of Brogdon’s three-point shot diet coming via catch-and-shoot. Last season, that number dropped to 73.8 percent of his shots from deep (116 of 157), and even more strangely coincided with Brogdon making just 35.3 percent of those opportunities.

Considering how essential catch-and-shoot looks were to his impressive three-point shooting the previous year, Brogdon managing to shoot over three percent better from deep overall than he did on those set, quick release attempts is remarkable. The cause, of course, was a 19-of-39 (48.7 percent) success rate on pull-ups.

The impressive peculiarities with Brogdon’s shooting trends don’t end there either. Brogdon made just 33.5 percent of his three-point attempts following 0-2 dribbles, while he shot a heady 58.6 percent on attempts preceded by 3-7 dribbles. In other words, albeit on a modest sample size, Brogdon has become an impressive three-point shooter out of isolation situations.

What can be made of all of this in looking to the 25-year-old’s future, though?

Across the course of two seasons in the NBA, Brogdon has averaged 39.5 percent from deep on over 350 attempts, and he has demonstrated the ability to make a variety of different kind of shots from that distance.

Along with being one of the very best corner three-point shooters at his position last season (95th percentile per Cleaning the Glass, 89th percentile the year prior), the former Rookie of the Year can spot up or create his own shot from behind the arc. In the long-term, Brogdon’s percentage on pull-ups may regress, but it would seem likely that his catch-and-shoot numbers will improve too.

The balance between those should leave Brogdon as a deadly and versatile long-range marksman for years to come, leaving the most important next step being to increase his attempts.

With an average of just 3.7 three-point attempts per 36 minutes for his first two seasons combined, Brogdon needs to become a more aggressive offensive player, while the Bucks also need to make him a more featured part of their offense.

Over the course of the offseason, Milwaukee has added a host of shooters who should help to maximize Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s superstar abilities, but they also will need to do a better job at getting the most out of the players they already had on their roster.

Brogdon stands out as a prime example of that, and as a remarkably well-rounded three-point shooter already, the Bucks now need to put him in position to kick on.