By all accounts, Wesley Matthews has been a solid midseason addition to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Since coming aboard in December, the swingman has brought defensive expertise, toughness, and veteran experience into the mix, having carved out a legitimate role for himself in the process. Still, one noticeable flaw for Matthews has been his long-range shooting, as the 12-year journeyman is shooting a career-low 33.1 percent from behind the arc this year. Considering Matthews has made a living in the association as a perimeter shooter – 37.7 percent for his career – he has shot the ball uncharacteristically all season long, which has hurt the champs.
Looking closer at the biggest reason behind Wesley Matthews’ abysmal shooting slump with the Milwaukee Bucks
Coach Mike Budenholzer has primarily utilized Matthews as a perimeter threat when Milwaukee’s leading trio is out on the floor. Of Matthews’ 136 3-point attempts this season, 90 of them have come off passes from the Big 3 of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday, and Khris Middleton, per NBA.com/stats. Despite getting a handful of open looks nightly playing alongside these three, the swingman has failed to capitalize on it, having struggled with this all season long as he is shooting just 27-of-90 (30 percent) off passes from the trio. This poor shooting is the most apparent factor behind his struggles this season.
Matthews’ shooting struggles begin in his minutes alongside Antetokounmpo. Budenhlolzer has always surrounded the MVP with outside shooters to give him room to work offensively and have a reliable kick-out threat waiting out on the perimeter. In theory, this is a role that Matthews could thrive in, but he has done just the opposite as he has shot 8-of-35 (22.9 percent) from deep off his passes from Antetokounmpo this season. Players oftentimes see their 3-point percentage leap up when playing alongside the Greek Freak – see Bryn Forbes or Grayson Allen – due to the vast array of open looks created by him, but Matthews has done just the opposite, which is problematic.
Meanwhile, Matthews has not seen much success when paired with Holiday either, as he has shot a mere 7-of-28 (25 percent) from downtown off his passes. Once again, the wide-open looks have been there for the taking, but the veteran has struggled to hit them. The one member of the Big 3 that has had some success with Matthews is Middleton. Matthews has shot an efficient 12-of-27 (44.4 percent) on his perimeter shots off passes from the three-time All-Star, which is significantly better than with either of the other two members. Still, the overall numbers are far from ideal, and the Bucks would certainly like to see Matthews find his stride with this group.
Regardless of his perimeter shooting, Matthews will continue to get minutes due to his defensive presence, as he has been solid on that side of things. However, Matthews could potentially be an X-factor for this Milwaukee team if he can play that brand of defense while also hitting his triples, especially when paired with the Big 3, given the hefty minutes he will continue to receive nightly.
Coaches and teammates will reassure Matthews to continue letting it fly with confidence when he gets the opportunity, and hopefully he can shoot his way out of this slump down the stretch.