Milwaukee’s role players have had a phenomenal impact on the postseason to date, but who from the “Bench Mob” do you expect to be most influential in this series?
RC: He hasn’t been on the bench mob this postseason but assuming that Brogdon is reinstated to the starting lineup, it’s Mirotic. His shot was a bit erratic last round, but going against the weaker competition could do wonders for him. Instead of playing against the Celtics starting lineup, he’ll have the chance to attack the weak Raptors bench. Mirotic won’t be asked to cover smaller guards like he did against the Celtics and will be more of a focal point of the offense with the second unit. I expect at least one Mirotic game in which he hits at least five threes and scores 20+ off the bench.
DL: Nikola Mirotic could hold the key to the series out of the rotation guys.
Toronto’s bigs are well suited to bully someone like Ersan Ilyasova inside and get easy baskets in the paint. Siakam and Leonard are also far superior athletes to him and they could have a field day if he ends up defending them.
Milwaukee may be forced to counter by going to Mirotic in a variety of small ball line-ups. He’s not the greatest defender himself, but he’s a bit stronger than Ilyasova and has slightly better foot speed than him, which makes him a more viable option to defend someone like Siakam.
Mirotic’s real value, however, will come on the offensive end. If Toronto tries to play Ibaka and Gasol together, Mirotic’s ability to come off screens and stretch the floor could make any such lineup untenable. If he’s hitting his shots, he should open up the floor for Antetokounmpo to work inside.
Even if the Bucks have an edge in the guard department, Mirotic seems to hold the key to countering any paint-clogging strategy the Raptors may try to execute.
DB: I believe that the most important Bench Mob player in this series will be the most surprising performer of the last series: George Hill. Hill put up 16 points in the Celtics elimination game. Although Brogdon looked like himself in the limited minutes he played in his first game back, Hill was able to perform throughout the four straight wins for the Bucks in the last round. Why give Hill less minutes out of the gate if he has had a good thing going? If the Bucks can demoralize the Raptors by Hill outplaying Lowry, then it would be a great psychological win for them.
RK: Though a starter for most of the season, I believe Malcolm Brogdon will have a big impact off the bench. While he may see limited minutes as he works his way back from his foot injury, his 17 minutes in game five against Boston showed that he is looking very much like his old self, scoring 10 points on 50 percent shooting from the field. Considering that the Raptors have little guard depth, Brogdon should be able to thrive in this series.
SR: The beauty with this bench mob, and this question, is that there are so many options where one could foresee major impact. Though I think George Hill is probably the answer I should give, I’ll continue to appreciate Pat Connaughton for the impact he continues to have in these playoffs. His energy level seems to set the tone for the bench mob, and lately his three pointers seem to always come at critical junctures in these games. His rebounding and perimeter shot contesting add in two very specific traits that other role players do not have, and while he may be undersized, neither of Kyle Lowry, Fred Van Vleet, or Danny Green will expose him. Now, if Kawhi Leonard gets isolation looks against Connaughton, it probably won’t end well every time, but you know Connaughton won’t simply back down to that challenge.
LW: I’m not going to overthink this. George Hill has been incredible and will continue to get heavy minutes. I think he will be a huge factor once again. Brogdon’s return is also huge.
BR: In all honesty, the great thing about the Bench Mob is that any player can get hot on any given night. If you’re asking me who I think will have the greatest impact this series, though, I think that has to be George Hill. Whether it’s on the offensive or defensive end, Hill manages to provide a boost every time he comes off the bench. His defensive prowess should keep Lowry in check when Bledsoe sits and his offensive ability will provide a nice spark when the starters take a breather. My honorable mention is Ersan Ilyasova, who continues to be a huge factor for the Bucks’ bench. I think he can match up especially well defensively against Toronto’s big man rotation of Ibaka, Siakam and Gasol.
JT: The beauty in this question is that there are multiple answers given here and it’s very hard to disagree with any of them, which speaks to how much of a strength the Bucks’ depth and bench mob has been all year long and into the playoffs.
But for me, I’m going with the revelation of this year’s playoffs for the Bucks, the bleached blonde bombshell himself, who moonlights as a Sisqo impersonator in the offseason, King George Hill.
Hill was already a stable presence for the Bucks throughout the year but with his offense fully kicking on, which has been informed by a switch of aggressiveness as much as anything else, he’s been absolutely massive at this point in the year. As it stands right now, Hill has been the third-most consistent player for the Bucks throughout the playoffs and I don’t think it’s all that close, considering how his role has only grown as they have mowed through the competition.
Malcolm Brogdon’s return will continue to be a key thread from this point on and integrating him back into the rotation and potentially back into the starting lineup may rearrange how things look at the moment. But it certainly won’t come at the cost of Hill’s minutes and overall reliability at this time.