Behind the Bucks Pass
Fansided

Milwaukee Bucks: 3 players on the bubble of playoff rotation

By Jordan Treske

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - NOVEMBER 16: Ersan Ilyasova #7 of the Milwaukee Bucks is help up by his teammates in the game against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on November 16, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - NOVEMBER 16: Ersan Ilyasova #7 of the Milwaukee Bucks is help up by his teammates in the game against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on November 16, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 4
Next
DENVER, CO – MARCH 09: (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO – MARCH 09: (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images) /

Sterling Brown

After flirting with a breakout sophomore campaign last year, Sterling Brown’s slow decline has been inescapable this season.

The SMU product has regressed all across the board offensively as he’s averaging 5 points on .367/.316/.771 shooting splits, making for a career-worst 47.8 true shooting percentage, across his 45 appearances this year. And as a result of his slide, Brown has been leapt over by the likes of Pat Connaughton, Donte DiVincenzo and newcomers such as Kyle Korver and Wesley Matthews in the Bucks’ wing rotation as the season has progressed.

The timing of Brown’s significant stepback casts quite the cloud over his NBA future as he will hit restricted free agency this summer. While there was some reported interest in Brown at the trade deadline, per ESPN’s Zach Lowe, one can only wonder what kind of contract and guaranteed money he will fetch when things haven’t exactly worked out in Milwaukee under a semi-regular role.

What it all means for Brown in the present is a perilous hold within the Bucks’ rotation, even as he’s likely to get more time in the coming weeks with the Bucks gearing up for their looming playoff run. Could such a spurt result in a renewed confidence in Brown and subsequently from Budenholzer if the 25-year-old is able to find the development track he had been on before he veered off that path this season? That’s not completely out of the question.

Next. Minutes without Giannis Antetokounmpo turning for worse. dark

But until Brown proves that he’s able to offer the same level of shooting and complementary skills as his counterparts to go along with his tenacious defense and hustle on the glass, he may be forced to watch the Bucks’ playoff run unfold from the bench.

Home/Bucks News