3 key matchups in Milwaukee Bucks’ first round series with Chicago Bulls
By Dalton Sell
Wesley Matthews versus DeMar DeRozan will be a crucial matchup as the Milwaukee Bucks take on the Chicago Bulls
The Milwaukee Bucks promoted Wesley Matthews into the starting lineup recently for matchups such as this one. While Grayson Allen is a solid defender, Matthews is a more reputable defender without question, and the defending champions will need that with DeMar DeRozan on the other side of the basketball. This way, Matthews can take DeRozan right from the opening tip, and the regular season numbers suggest that they will spend a massive portion of the series matched up.
Matthews has guarded DeRozan across 102.2 partial possessions this season, which is by far the most time he has spent guarding any player. For reference, Brooklyn Nets’ forward Kevin Durant is second on the list at 78.8 possessions, showing how significant the gap is. During that timeframe, Matthews has not exactly limited DeRozan’s contributions offensively as he has scored 37 points on 16-of-31 shooting (51.6 percent) in their four meetings. Matthews’ defense on the All-Star will be among the most key factors in this series, as Milwaukee’s swingman will have his hands full on that side of the court.
Given that DeRozan shot a mere three 3-pointers during the 102.2 partial possessions that he and Matthews were matched up, most of his damage came from inside the arc. That will be the case in this matchup as well, in all likelihood, given DeRozan’s mid-range game. The All-Star led the NBA in mid-range makes this season with 348 total, shooting 47 percent on his attempts to help propel a dominant year scoring the basketball as he averaged a career-high 27.9 points per game.
Matthews will be tasked with making things challenging for DeRozan whenever he gets into his spot, which is far easier said than done, of course. Still, Matthews possesses the physicality and savviness to pose a problem for DeRozan, and the minutes when these two are matched up will be vital for the Milwaukee Bucks’ success in this series.