Even as his opportunities have been few and far between on the NBA level, Milwaukee Bucks two-way player Frank Mason has shown his promise in Orlando.
Since arriving to the Milwaukee Bucks more than a year ago, all Frank Mason III has needed is a chance.
Coming to Milwaukee by way of a two-way contract, Mason has certainly shown that he’s capable of contributing, judging by his remarkable play with the Bucks’ G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd. After all, Mason was named this year’s G League Most Valuable Player with the Herd as they finished with the league’s best record at 33-10 before things came to a screeching halt.
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But for all the strides and progress Mason has made in reclaiming his still burgeoning NBA career, his playing time up with the Bucks has certainly been limited to say the least throughout the season.
Prior to the season restart, Mason had only played a total of 53 minutes in his six appearances with the Bucks before the season suspension in March.
Nevertheless, Mason’s inclusion on the Bucks’ roster going into the bubble was still a necessary one, especially in light of the COVID-19 diagnosis of starting point guard Eric Bledsoe. It’s been through that lens, as well as the long view the Bucks have taken in terms of resting key players for games, that Mason has been able to showcase his skills more in Orlando.
Such circumstances led to Mason crafting a terrific performance in the Bucks’ 126-113 victory over the hapless Washington Wizards Tuesday night, a game in which Mason finished with 19 points on 10 shots (1-for-2 from three), six assists, five boards, two steals and a turnover in 21-and-a-half minutes.
Of course, the level of opponent has been no different from the number of G League teams that Mason regularly carved up over his 23 appearances with the Herd this season. But what Mason has shown over his limited minutes with the Bucks in the bubble has addressed some of the things that have dogged the Bucks offensively.
For starters, it’s been as simple as taking care of the ball, a glaring issue for the Bucks throughout their time in Orlando, when Mason has been tasked with initiating the team’s offense. Given the many absences the Bucks have dealt with over the last few weeks, players have been miscast as a leading initiator in five-man units that were used very little, if at all, outside of garbage time minutes.
Mason’s presence and experience on the ball and natural ability to set up the offense has given the Bucks some much needed poise in that department, as evidenced by his 10 assists and four turnovers over his 40 minutes in the bubble.
But beyond just pulling the strings of the Bucks’ offense, Mason’s ability to play with pace and the relentlessness he shows penetrating the paint serves as the ideal way for the Bucks’ offense to function, even if it may come with games in hand.
Just in Orlando, Mason has compiled 22 drives over his limited minutes, per NBA.com/stats. And while he’s gone 4-for-7 from the field, it’s Mason’s ability to draw a crowd of defenders and dish it out to an open teammate that cleanly generates wide-open 3-point looks.
That, along with his shot making, has been at the heart of what Mason has done long before he entered the NBA and the ease in which he can regularly get into the heart of opposing defenses will be crucial to landing an NBA deal this offseason. And the improvements he has shown shooting the ball throughout the year, especially from three, will certainly help in that regard.
Normally, the Bucks’ system is designed around the downhill abilities of reigning MVP in Giannis Antetokounmpo or Eric Bledsoe. While Mason doesn’t have the pedigree of either one of those core pieces, the fearlessness he shows in driving situations shows the basic outline of how the Bucks’ offensive attack is supposed to function.
Who knows whether it’s in Milwaukee where Mason will continue his NBA career beyond this season, though the Bucks have the inside the track as they can make him a restricted free agent if they offer him a qualifying offer in the offseason. For more on how free agency works for two-way players, I broke that down here.
The Bucks have been thin at the guard position and have weathered through various maladies between Bledsoe as well as their veteran sixth man, George Hill. From that standpoint, it’s a logical area that the Bucks may address via the draft in the fall and potentially groom their next point guard of the future around Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez and so on.
That would leave Mason in a precarious position, but it’s too soon to try and project the future at this time. But what he showing when up with the Bucks is a glimpse into how they can maintain their diverse offensive attack beyond the minutes that Antetokounmpo, Bledsoe and Hill are on the floor.