3 big questions for Milwaukee Bucks going into Chicago Bulls playoff series

Will Jevon Carter be able to crack the Milwaukee Bucks’ playoff rotation?

One of the most popular questions down the stretch for the Milwaukee Bucks was about Jevon Carter and if he’d be able to get back into head coach Mike Budenholzer’s rotation.

In the final eight games of the season, Carter played in 15.4 minutes per game but that’s a bit deceiving. He started two games where the Bucks didn’t start any of their key players and got a ton of minutes in those games.

He did see 11 minutes against the Boston Celtics (with George Hill healthy) and then nearly 14 against the Detroit Pistons with Hill picking up an injury.

They now have nearly a week off between games so there’s a chance that Hill could return for Game 1 on Sunday, but Carter should still be in the rotation regardless.

The Bulls have a ton of guards or wings that can make an impact so the Bucks will need as many guys who can match up against them as possible. Carter played over 13 minutes against the Bulls in his fourth game as a Buck and then around 18 and a half in another game against Chicago down the stretch and he was a plus-11 combined in those meetings.

Carter would also help take the pressure off of Jrue Holiday and Wesley Matthews (as well as Hill if he’s available) in picking up someone like Zach LaVine for a few possessions or even a secondary scorer like Coby White.

We saw the impact of Holiday picking guys up full court and constantly applying that pressure on opposing ball-handlers can have throughout a series and that’s what Carter does better than anything else.

This may not be a long series, but Carter’s on-ball pressure and being able to give Holiday a couple of possessions off will pay off in the long run in terms of mileage.

The Milwaukee Bucks tip-off their title defense with their first-round series against the Chicago Bulls this Sunday!