Milwaukee Bucks: Revisiting Wesley Matthews 2019-20 season so far

Milwaukee Bucks: Revisiting Wesley Matthews 2019-20 season so far – Where Wes left off

Considering how the Bucks’ system is built and the long-standing strengths of Matthews’ NBA career, the Golden Eagle legend certainly hasn’t been asked to reinvent the wheel as far as his role has been considered.

Offensively, Matthews’ floor spacing and prolific 3-point shooting ability remained intact throughout his first season in Milwaukee. And while he was prone to go through occasional streaks and slumps, Matthews being able to hit his threes at a 36.5 percent clip this year falls in line with where he’s hovered in that department post-Achilles injury.

Matthews’ perimeter shooting has vastly supported his offensive production as he’s averaging career lows in points per game (7.5), usage percentage (12.7), all while playing the fewest minutes of his career at 24.7 minutes per game.

That less is more approach has undoubtedly been something different for the 33-year-old, even as he’s never been a high-volume shot creator throughout his career. While Matthews has had to rely more on getting to his spots to fire away on offense, his work on the defensive end has been critical within the framework of the league’s best defensive team.

While age and his declining athleticism may have lent Bucks fans, myself included, to worry about how impactful Matthews could be on that side of the ball going into his homecoming, it turns out that Matthews has fit like a glove by giving the Bucks some more tenacity and toughness on the perimeter.

That’s led to Matthews taking on premier defensive assignments such as checking LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard in the Bucks’ high-profile matchups throughout the year. Through that, Matthews has shown his impressive lower body strength when tasked with defending bigger players, despite his 6’4″ wing-sized frame.

Matthews’ defensive standing has allowed many of the Bucks’ perimeter players such as Eric Bledsoe and Khris Middleton to take on more offensive responsibilities and the Bucks certainly haven’t lost any of their defensive mastery as a result.