Milwaukee Bucks: Takeaways from 117-89 win over Indiana Pacers

Brogdon’s return

Having been the biggest storyline of the Bucks’ offseason, there was certainly no shortage of buzz on Sunday night as Malcolm Brogdon returned to Fiserv Forum for the first time as a Pacer.

Speaking before the game, Brogdon offered up some more insight on how his departure played out than he previously had up to this point. That included revealing that he had a sense a few weeks prior to free agency that he wasn’t Milwaukee’s priority, and making it clear that he would have been in favor of staying if things had gone just a little differently.

"“I would’ve loved to play for this team, if they had wanted me. If they had valued me the way the Pacers value me. That’s all I gotta say.”"

All of that was very much in the past, though, and with both parties now thriving without each other, there was an undoubtedly a curiosity as to how things would play out in this first reunion.

On the part of the Bucks’ fans and the organization, Brogdon was greeted incredibly warmly, receiving loud ovations from the Fiserv Forum fateful, and also a video tribute from the Bucks.

In the game itself, Brogdon didn’t quite deliver the kind of performance he’d have hoped for, though. In style, this was very much the remodeled, pure point, higher usage version of Brogdon. He came up with 10 assists on the night, although with five turnovers, his playmaking could have been more efficient too.

Brogdon’s 5-of-19 shooting was something of a horror show, though, and a major factor in Indiana’s struggles.

Surprisingly, Brogdon did take on the task of defending Giannis Antetokounmpo, and performed admirably in doing so, but by the game’s end just a glance at the scoreboard may well have left him to rue what he’s not getting to be a part of this season.