Milwaukee Bucks: Meet the 2010s All-Decades Team

Milwaukee Bucks: Meet the 2010s All-Decade Team – Malcolm Brogdon

As he kept falling further and further in the 2016 NBA Draft, all Malcolm Brogdon needed was an opportunity to land in a cushy spot. Brogdon’s agent, David Falk, was determined as much as Brogdon recently recalled his draft night experience to New Orleans Pelicans sharpshooter JJ Redick:

"“You can go to Milwaukee and compete for the starting job with the Bucks, you’ll have a good chance of getting it, but it’s also Jason Kidd. He’s a point guard, you’ve a chance to really learn from him, and it’s a building team and you can grow with them. That’s where we want you to go.’”"

As fate would have it, the Bucks selected the decorated Virginia Cavalier with the 36th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft and they went on to reap the rewards of making such a decision.

Brogdon’s blend of scoring, shooting and playmaking at both backcourt positions gave the Bucks an immediate punch and a building block to supplement their growing core. And it was in that 2016-17 season where Brogdon became the second Bucks player to be named NBA Rookie of the Year and the second player to win the honor who was taken outside of the first round of the draft.

In his following seasons, Brogdon made a point of making sure his first act was no fluke as he increased his scoring output and efficiency year over year throughout his three seasons in Milwaukee. And it was in the Bucks’ transformative 2018-19 season where Brogdon became the eighth player to join the famed 50-40-90 club while averaging 15.6 points per game.

The only thing that sunk Brogdon’s stint in Milwaukee was his durability and the injuries that affected both his 2017-18 and 2018-19 campaigns. Brogdon’s time in Milwaukee came to an end in the summer of 2019 when he was dealt to the Indiana Pacers in a sign-and-trade deal and subsequently signed a four-year, $85 million contract.

For as brief as Brogdon’s time in Milwaukee ended up being, he certainly made his mark in such a short amount of time. And Brogdon’s 89.5 free throw percentage for his Bucks career tops the team’s record books and his 61.4 true shooting percentage from 2018-19 is the third-highest mark by a Bucks player for an individual season.

In his 187 appearances with the Bucks, Brogdon averaged 12.8 points on .484/.408/.895 shooting splits, 3.6 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 0.9 steals across 28.1 minutes per game.