Milwaukee Bucks: Wesley Matthews’ struggles growing worse offensively
By Dalton Sell
After a promising start to the season, Milwaukee Bucks’ starting guard Wesley Matthews has found himself in a lengthy offensive slump that’s growing worrisome halfway through the season.
When Wesley Matthews was signed to the Milwaukee Bucks in the offseason, it appeared to be a stellar move. With a large hole to fill at the shooting guard position due to the departure of Malcolm Brogdon, the 33-year-old seemed like the perfect fit.
Matthews offered the Bucks a fierce defender packaged with a versatile offensive arsenal that could mesh into any system, on a near-minimum contract, nonetheless.
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The season started off promising for the shooting guard, but his offensive numbers have only gotten worse with every month that passes. Currently averaging a career-low 7.1 points per game on sub 40 percent shooting, to say Matthews has gone cold is an understatement.
However, his previous eight contests have been downright alarming, as Matthews’ numbers are statistically appalling. Averaging 4.1 points per game, his shooting numbers over this past stretch explain why. Connecting on 25.5 percent of his field-goal attempts to go along with a vile 22.6 percent on three-point shots, the guard has not been able to get anything to go inside the basket. The free-throw line has been no exception, as only 40 percent of those shots have been successful.
In his last outing on January 16 versus the visiting Boston Celtics, Matthews’ struggles were on full display once again. Logging 29 total minutes, the starter finished with a stat line of zero points, four rebounds, and one assist. Shooting 0-of-3 from the field and 0-of-1 from behind the arc, Wesley recorded another poor offensive showing as the Bucks would still win.
Regardless, no matter how troublesome the guard’s offense has been, it can be fixed by all means. With just under half of the regular season to go until the playoffs, Matthew has plenty of time to find a solid rhythm on offense before then. With a softer schedule ahead mixed with the distant All-Star break in February, there is a golden opportunity for the taking for Matthews to try and find some consistent offense.
With reigning Coach of the Year Mike Budenholzer’s “let it fly” mentality encouraging players to do just that on a nightly basis, Matthews could break out of this slump in any given game.
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Matthews has the confidence as an established veteran in this league, but the offense just hasn’t been there in recent games. At 37-6, the Milwaukee Bucks are performing sensationally well now but will undoubtedly need their starting shooting guard contributing in the postseason.