Milwaukee Bucks: Letting Malcolm Brogdon go was a mistake

The perfect system player

Brogdon was an essential part of the Bucks’ team last season. In fact, a reasonable argument could be made that Malcolm Brogdon was the Milwaukee Bucks’ second most important player at key junctures of the season, including in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Brogdon was the perfect fit for what the Bucks wanted to do on both ends of the court. On offense, he was the perfect low-usage, but high efficiency shooter that the Bucks sorely needed. He may not have been a high volume three-point shot-maker, but his ability to hit catch-and-shoot threes at a near league-best rate was an extremely valuable asset in a team that needed shooters to space the floor for their MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo, to operate.

In addition to being a great shooter, Brogdon was also a perfect fit in helping the offense to run smoothly. His high-IQ led to him picking the right spots to be on the floor to maximize both his and everyone else’s talents. He was an efficient passer, and could drive and score at the rack at a really efficient rate. He rarely forced up highly contested shots or made reckless passes into impossible spaces. He was exactly the kind of no BS player on offense that every championship team needs.

On defense, Brogdon gave the Bucks the ability to rotate, be aggressive in the passing lanes, and destroy teams in transition. Yes, he may not be an elite defensive talent on the level of Antetokounmpo, but he could do more than a serviceable job holding his own in whatever role he was asked to take on. He did a more than respectable job guarding Kawhi Leonard at times in the Eastern Conference Finals, for example, despite the fact that Leonard was having one the best NBA playoff runs in history.

Brogdon was the perfect system player for the Bucks to have. Everything he excelled at played off of the rest of the roster well. He was exactly the kind of player every championship team wants to have in their back-court.