Milwaukee Bucks: Wesley Matthews being spurred on by home comforts
By Adam McGee
Wesley Matthews realized a dream in returning to Wisconsin to play for the Milwaukee Bucks, and his best play so far has been reserved for his hometown fans.
On the surface, Wesley Matthews has had something of a mixed start to his tenure with his hometown Milwaukee Bucks.
Matthews has been an ever-present cog in the Bucks’ formidable starting lineup, certainly sharing in the praise and glory of their success, but on an individual basis his numbers have been underwhelming on the whole.
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As has been well-documented, the Bucks have had to deal with an absurd stretch of road games to start the season with 10 of their first 14 games before their recent return home played away from Fiserv Forum.
It’s no secret that role players generally play better at home, but perhaps given the emotional ties that Matthews carries with him when he takes to the floor in Milwaukee, that disparity could be even greater for him.
Just 16 games into the year, and with only six played at home so far, we’re still in the realm of small sample sizes. Still, the contrast between Matthews’ numbers at home and away are stark to say the least.
Fresh off of 13 points, and being the team’s non-Giannis leading scorer on Saturday against the Pistons, Matthews’ home averages through six games consist of 11.7 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists, on outstanding shooting splits of .500/.419/.833.
That leaves Matthews as the team’s leading scorer after Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, and Eric Bledsoe at Fiserv Forum, and arguably even outperforming the expectations most would have held for him when he signed in the summer.
Unfortunately, it’s a completely different story when Matthews hits the road. Away from Milwaukee, Matthews ranks just 10th of all Bucks in terms of his scoring average, and his numbers leave a lot to be desired beyond that.
With 4.9 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.2 assists on dire shooting splits of .365/.314/.000, Matthews is much closer to being unplayable on the road.
On the whole, this would seem to be a trend that’s too strange and extreme to last over any longer period of the season at its current disparity. Still, it’s something worth monitoring as the year progresses, and more immediately over the Bucks’ upcoming home-heavy stretch in the schedule.
To put a positive spin on things, it’s great that Matthews is finding a way to channel the enthusiasm he has for representing the Bucks, and the love he receives when he plays at home, into immensely positive performances.
Speaking before the season about what the prospect of being back in Milwaukee would mean to him, Matthews said:
"“Coming back home is a sentimental feeling, and one that you can’t quite describe. And to see the success, the growth of the city, the growth of the state, what this Bucks organization and what this team has done, I come back and I don’t even recognize some of the stuff around here. It’s cool, and I’m excited to be a part of it.”"
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Now, if only Matthews could find the same energy and excitement to take on the road, the Bucks would really be in a great spot with their hometown hero.