Milwaukee Bucks: 4 trends from first month of the 2019-20 season
Development on the wings
The Bucks’ crew of veterans may have yet to find their footing collectively, but resounding positives have come through on the developmental end of the Bucks’ roster at this point in their 2019-20 season.
That starts with second-year guard Donte DiVincenzo who has put his injury-riddled rookie campaign behind him with a fast start to his sophomore season. DiVincenzo has routinely lit a spark for the Bucks with the combination of his three-point shooting (40.9 percent on 44 attempts) and his strong defensive services, where he’s been living in passing lanes (1.4 steals per game) and has been crashing the glass regularly with 3.7 rebounds per game.
And now, the Big Ragu has recently stepped up in a starting role to take the place of the sidelined Khris Middleton following his left thigh contusion and has responded with his best performances of the young season to further fuel the Bucks, and establish himself in the NBA as a whole.
Along with DiVincenzo, Sterling Brown has opened his third NBA season by fortifying the Bucks’ bench unit and he’s gotten off to his best start shooting the ball from three, as evidenced by his 44.8 three-point percentage (on 29 attempts, mind you).
The former Mustang has filled the same gaps as DiVincenzo and has played with a level of physicality that’s often shined when Brown has seen the floor during small-ball lineups. That has resulted in Brown providing a steady presence on the glass and he’s on track to have a career year cleaning up on the boards as the 24-year-old is averaging 10.8 rebounds per 36 minutes.
With their range of positive contributions, the duo of Brown and DiVincenzo have stood near the top of the league in individual defensive rating as well as individual net rating.
With D.J. Wilson still waiting to get his number called regularly in the Bucks’ rotation so far this year, Brown and DiVincenzo have been at the center of the team’s internal growth and the steady strides both have made have made an impact on the Bucks’ early season performance.