Milwaukee Bucks: Getting to know new sixth man D.J. Augustin

Analyzing D.J. Augustin’s playing style with the Milwaukee Bucks

By coming to Milwaukee, Augustin will certainly bring a dose of instant offense and perimeter shooting, just as he’s done over his NBA career to this point.

Milwaukee lost their sixth man, George Hill, through the Jrue Holiday trade, leaving open the need for the Bucks to replenish a steady floor general that’s capable of leading their bench unit. The Bucks clearly valued and offered a meaningful role for Augustin, as evidenced by the agreement he and the team struck up on the first full day of free agency.

At this stage in his career, Augustin is certainly well-suited to play that role and brings a different dimension to the Bucks’ offense than how they’ve operated during the Mike Budenholzer era.

To that point, Augustin ran the second-highest frequency of pick-and-rolls for all handlers for the 2019-20 season, per NBA.com/stats. Having ranked in the 73rd percentile on such possessions, Augustin stands as something of a pick-and-roll maestro, which is essential in freeing him up to let it fly off the dribble or even penetrate the paint, given his size deficiencies.

For a Bucks team that has generally relied more on their read-and-react offensive system, incorporating more set plays and pick-and-rolls will be the key in unlocking Augustin’s shot creation abilities. That will especially be key in unleashing Augustin’s 3-point prowess, which the Bucks are hopeful will shoot back up after he shot 34.8 percent from that level of the floor last season.

There’s not much question as to what Augustin will look to bring to the Bucks’ offense and how much freedom he’ll have in being able to lead the second unit and more when he’s on the floor. When coupling that with his pragmatic decision making and ability to create opportunities for others, it only makes more sense for the Bucks to entrust Augustin into handling the reins in those situations.

It’s on the defensive end where Augustin has much to prove, especially within how the Bucks have operated on that side of the ball.

The former Longhorn is obviously fresh off of playing with a defensive and principled mind in Steve Clifford and will likely seeing similarities in Mike Budenholzer, his new coach. As much as Augustin has accrued plenty of experience of defending at the NBA level, his size and declining athleticism are mighty big questions that he’ll have to answer.

Milwaukee certainly has the defensive infrastructure that can cover up for Augustin’s physical deficiencies, but it’s under high-leverage minutes where his limitations may leave him off the floor. We’ll just have to see how it all unfolds.