Milwaukee Bucks: Grading their new additions one month into 2020-21 season
It wasn’t that long ago when the Milwaukee Bucks were faced with their greatest offseason challenge, arguably than at any other point in franchise history.
By turning over half of their roster year over year, the uncertainty the Bucks faced going into this 2020-21 season was reflected in the uncertainty of having an NBA season during a global pandemic.
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Now one month into their run this season, this Bucks team has certainly been shaped by their many new faces who have gone on and made an impact as the team stands at 9-5 on the year, which is currently tied for second in the East.
Of course, some additions have made greater impacts than others and that simply goes down to who has seen the floor in some cases.
So without further ado, let’s assess how all of the new Milwaukee Bucks additions have done so far this 2020-21 season.
Grading D.J. Augustin’ growing stint with the Milwaukee Bucks
Let’s get the tough part out of the way.
Make no bones about it, the Bucks’ biggest free agent signing, D.J. Augustin, has been the biggest bust so far this season. Through his 13 appearances on the season, Augustin is averaging 5.8 points on .328/.366/1.000 shooting, 2.6 assists and 1.2 rebounds across 18.5 minutes per game.
Augustin’s lack of comfort and rhythm in the Bucks’ system has been plain to see and his size and defensive limitations have only exacerbated issues. Although he’s tried to spark some chemistry with his new teammates, Augustin’s caretaking of the second unit could stand to improve as the season goes along.
Clearly, Augustin’s inefficient scoring has been the toughest pill to swallow. While he has room for improvement, Augustin’s shooting has largely been fine, especially as he’s shooting 11-for-27 on catch-and-shoot 3-pointers (40.7 percent), per NBA.com/stats.
It’s been inside the arc where Augustin has been simply grim, given that he’s converted 26.9 percent of his 2-point shots. With his size and physical limitations, Augustin’s finishing deficiencies have made him a non-factor when it comes to being able to drive into the heart of opposing defenses.
Augustin has shown to be better than he is playing over the course of his 13-year NBA career. Make no mistake, though, Augustin’s extended struggles have emerged as a big blight on the Bucks’ bench production.