3 reasons the Milwaukee Bucks should bring Wesley Matthews back

DETROIT, MICHIGAN - APRIL 08 (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - APRIL 08 (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images) /
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Milwaukee Bucks: Wesley Matthews
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – JANUARY 22 (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) /

No. 3 – Wesley Matthews showed the Milwaukee Bucks he can still contribute at a high level since coming aboard last season

As highlighted in the previous section, Wesley Matthews is not the player that he once was, and no one should expect him to be as he nears 36-years-old. However, just because he is no longer averaging north of 15 points or sinking multiple 3-pointers per game as he did during his days in Portland does not mean that he cannot help a team out, as he displayed this year when he was brought in by the Milwaukee Bucks back in early December.

For the role that the Bucks have in mind for Matthews, he can unquestionably be serviceable in the rotation. The veteran had a tough time finding his 3-point shot during the regular season, but he came to life in the postseason as he shot 18-of-45 (40 percent) from deep across 12 contests. The Bucks will never depend on Matthews’ scoring, but if he can knock down the occasional three, it would be a tremendous boost. Defensively, Matthews played a pivotal role as he was often the one tasked with guarding the opposing team’s top scorer, especially in the playoffs, and he often did a quality job by making things difficult for them due to his physicality and veteran savvy.

Ideally, Matthews would not be the starting two guard for the Bucks on opening night next year as he was throughout the postseason. Yet, he could certainly be a great piece in a bench role, ready to come in and play his 3-and-D role to the best of his abilities. In 15-20 minutes per game, he could be an impact player for the Bucks due to what he provides on both sides of the basketball night in and night out. Once again, Matthews’ willingness to return on a team-friendly deal gives the front office even more incentive to make the move this offseason, if that is ultimately the case.

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Keeping Wesley Matthews around for at least another season should be an easy decision for the Milwaukee Bucks this offseason, but stay tuned to see if they feel the same way about him.