Milwaukee Bucks: 5 goals for Sterling Brown in 2018-19 season

Assume defensive enforcer duties once again

The headlining development of Brown’s rookie season was the 23-year-old stepping into the defensive enforcer role during the stretches when he got his run on the court under the Bucks’ previous coaching regime.

Whether it was having to check opposing sharpshooters like Klay Thompson and Bradley Beal or a legendary maestro like Chris Paul, Brown certainly experienced and embraced the proverbial baptisms of fire by going against some of the more premier players littered around the league.

That responsibility comes as a double-edged sword that often results in humbling moments, but Brown’s physical attributes, instincts and high effort level notably led to some of the more promising flashes throughout his 2017-18 campaign.

What’s more is that having Brown on the floor led to the Bucks’ defense performing better than in the times he was on the bench. Per NBA.com/stats, the Bucks surrendered 103.7 points per 100 possessions in the 776 minutes Brown saw the court and in the 3,190 minutes without him, that number rose to 108 points per 100 possessions.

For that to bear out in that way, amidst the Bucks’ well publicized challenges on that end, speaks to how effective Brown’s persistent brand of defending stood upon his entry into the squad, something that Budenholzer noted following Brown’s return to practice Friday as Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel relayed:

"“He was good,” coach Mike Budenholzer said. “There’s a toughness and a competitiveness that comes with Sterling that today was a little bit edgy. It wasn’t just because of Sterling, but he has that about him and that’s one of the reasons we like him a lot.”"

If that’s translating into the practice setting before the season begins, perhaps that’s exactly what Brown needs for his defensive talents to take centerstage on a consistent basis as the year wears on.