Semi Ojeleye is the 3rd best acquisition for the Milwaukee Bucks this offseason
There’s actually a reasonable amount of high expectation around Semi Ojeleye as a Milwaukee Buck for this upcoming season, which stems primarily from the idea that he could be tasked with filling “the P.J. Tucker role.” Whether you think it’s fair or not for Ojeleye, that is the expectation some fans will have for him.
I’ve written about it a few times now, but he does have a similar profile to Tucker and does a lot of the same things, just at a lower level. But I don’t want to make this about Tucker anymore, he’s no longer with the team and Ojeleye is his own player.
From a fit perspective, the 26-year-old should have a pretty clear role with the team. There aren’t too many players with the size and defensive prowess that Ojeleye has in the Bucks reserves, so he’ll have an immediate chance to earn a role.
Like Hood, the key for Ojeleye to staying in the rotation will be his 3-point shooting. He’ll always be able to defend bigger wing players and tweener forwards due to his strength, but if he’s not able to space the floor when he’s playing with Giannis Antetokounmpo, then his role will diminish as the season goes on.
He has shot the three at a 37.2 percent clip the last two seasons on over two attempts per game, so there is some hope that he can knock shots down at a rate to keep the defense honest. There are many good shooting options on the Bucks, so he’ll be one of the more likely options that defenses choose to play off of, it’s up to Ojeleye to make them pay.