3 keys to the Milwaukee Bucks defeating the Boston Celtics in round two

No. 2 – The Milwaukee Bucks should start Grayson Allen in round two against the Boston Celtics

Towards the end of the season, coach Mike Budenholzer decided to change up the starting lineup he had been rolling with for almost 60 games. Lopez entering the lineup made sense to me since he is extremely valuable on the defensive end, but I did not and still do not understand why Allen has shifted to a role coming off the bench.

The way he played in the regular season usually gets you a continued spot in the lineup, but that was not the case. He averaged 11.7 points on almost 41 percent shooting from deep, which are solid numbers for a guy who is supposed to be our worst starter. Against the Bulls, Grayson Allen averaged 13.4 Points, 3.4 rebounds, and a steal in 24 minutes off the bench. In the series, Allen also shot nearly 60 percent from distance, and in a series like the one we are going into, 3-point shooting like that could be a huge difference-maker.

I would be okay with Allen coming off the bench if he still received the same minutes, but even those have gone down. Wesley Matthews has been alright in the lineup, and he offers good on-ball defense, but so does Allen. Grayson Allen is very sneaky with his hands and has a solid defensive IQ. It seems like defense is the reason Allen isn’t in the lineup, even though he is a pretty good defender at his position.

So, my question here is, why are we giving up much more versatility and spacing on offense, for maybe the slightest upgrade on defense? It really doesn’t make sense to me. Playoffs are a time where you play your best players and play them more minutes than the regular season, and 24 minutes a game for Allen is not enough, especially when he is producing the way he is. Whatever role Allen has in this series, his shooting and energy will be an important component to coming out on top. Hopefully we see him in the starting lineup.