Milwaukee Bucks: Panic or patience on three struggling Bucks
By Dalton Sell
Panic or patience on three struggling Milwaukee Bucks: D.J. Augustin
The Bucks handed D.J. Augustin a three-year, $21 million deal this offseason to be their new backup floor general. At the time, the guard seemed like an ideal fit to fill the vacancy, but he has struggled mightily to find any consistency to this point in the season. He looks solid in some games while virtually unplayable in others, the latter undoubtedly being the more apparent.
Augustin is currently averaging just 5.8 points on a .328/.366/1.000 slash line, 1.2 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in 18.5 minutes per game. With numbers like that, the guard’s overall production has been minimal.
As one of the veterans off Milwaukee’s bench, it has significantly impacted the team in the early portion of the season. Monday’s loss to the Nets is a prominent example of this, as Augustin failed to make hardly any meaningful contributions in his 19 minutes played. The veteran scored just two points, both of which came from the free-throw line, as he put together another cold offensive performance from the field, going 0-of-7 shooting.
While it is just 14 games into the season, these woes are still worrisome. Could Augustin find his groove down the road and live up to the team’s expectations for when they signed him? Absolutely. However, he has provided little optimism in that regard to this point, although everyone is rooting for a turnaround from the guard. He will be a crucial contributor in the Bucks’ second unit, and his typical production level has been sorely missed.