Milwaukee Bucks: Can Wesley Matthews take on key defensive assignments?

While much has been made about his offensive fit now that he’s joined his hometown team in the Milwaukee Bucks this offseason, Wesley Matthews‘ defensive services will be of great use throughout next season.

In the face of their biggest departure this offseason, that being Malcolm Brogdon, the Milwaukee Bucks are making a big bet on a pair of veteran wings to fill the void in Brogdon’s exit.

The addition of Wesley Matthews, as well as Kyle Korver, gives the Bucks plenty of experience and some overlap in the skill set that Brogdon brought to the Bucks, with both Korver and Matthews being premier shooting threats off the ball.

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While both will step up and let it fly in the Bucks’ system, it’s examining the other areas of the game where both can contribute and make an impact on the Bucks’ 2019-20 campaign, particularly in the case of Matthews.

Throughout his well-traveled NBA career, Matthews has prided himself on the defensive end as it was the calling card that helped him find a pathway to the NBA after going undrafted a little more than 10 years ago coming out of nearby Marquette University.

Even as a nasty Achilles injury that he suffered more than four years ago has sapped him of his speed and athleticism, the NBA’s “Iron Man,” as he’s often referred been to, hasn’t lost any of the mindset and intense spirit that has made him one of the long-standing examples of a prototypical wing.

No one’s mistaking the former part of that moniker, considering he’s a career 38.2 three-point shooter, but the bigger question is just how viable is Matthews’ defensive services are at this stage in his career.

Nearing on his age-33 season, the former Golden Eagle’s ferocity and toughness have masked some of the wear and tear he’s endured in the aftermath of recovering from his Achilles injury and simply due to aging. That’s obviously to be expected, especially after suffering such a calamitous injury and it makes Matthews’ recovery that much more commendable.

But the consequences of picking up such a career-altering injury are unmistakable as Matthews simply can’t handle the same kind of responsibilities that made him such a ferocious defender pre-Achilles injury blow.

Luckily, he’ll be joining a cast of highly intelligent and impactful defenders headlined by All-Defensive-caliber defenders such as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Eric Bledsoe, the likes of which Matthews hasn’t played alongside at any point during his time in the league.

That, in turn, will lighten the load that would have normally been placed on Matthews’ shoulders, but it will be crucial for the Madison native to fit seamlessly within the Bucks’ top-ranked defensive unit by season’s end last year.

Although the athletic concerns surrounding Matthews will loom over his Bucks stint, the benefits of bringing in someone of his size and strength may lead to head coach Mike Budenholzer playing him up in the lineup for minutes at the 3-spot and in small-ball lineups, in general. Matthews has always been willing to take on and check players that are bigger than him, specifically to body them one-on-one in the post, and that could be an asset to the Bucks in such situations.

Whether Matthews can regain some of the defensive steel that was synonymous with his game earlier in his career in a more limited role will be a big question that we’ll only see answered with time. In the event that he can, it would make this homecoming all the more fruitful for Matthews and everyone involved.