3 Milwaukee Bucks’ role players who will be X-factors post All-Star break
By Dalton Sell
Following the much-needed All-Star break, the Milwaukee Bucks’ quest to bring the Larry O’Brien Trophy back to the 414 will intensify.
Of course, any success the Bucks have will primarily rely on the Big 3 of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, and Jrue Holiday. They are the engine that makes this team go, but they cannot do it alone. The Bucks will need their role players if they will make a deep playoff run, and there are a few worth noting who stand out as potential x-factors. These guys being on or off could be one of the major deciding factors in a playoff series. With that said, let us look at three x-factors for the Bucks down the stretch once they resume playing in the coming days.
3 Milwaukee Bucks’ role players who will be X-factors post All-Star break – Joe Ingles
Joe Ingles is a fascinating player. He’s 6-foot-8 and can handle and facilitate the basketball well while knocking down long-range shots with consistency. While he’s been inconsistent this year, which was expected after missing 10 months due to ACL surgery, Ingles has proven to be a nice addition to the second unit. The Bucks have never had a player like him, and if Ingles can do all of those things moving forward, he could be a major x-factor.
Ingles’ shooting and facilitating could be significant for the Bucks down the line. On his best day, Ingles is one of the more reliable shooters in the associations. He’s been hit or miss this season, but having a career 40.6 3-point shooter is always a nice thing to have. Shooting like that could help the Bucks out tremendously. The same goes for Ingles’ facilitating, as his ball-handling skills could alleviate pressure off of the Big 3 to create on the offensive end.
The question is which version of Ingles the Bucks will get down the stretch. They could get the version that was on display in January, where the forward averaged 7.5 points and 3.7 assists while shooting 43.6 percent from three. That would be tremendous, but they could also get the February version, where he has averaged four points and 2.7 assists while shooting 21.4 percent on his 3-point attempts thus far. If Ingles could regain his footing and play like he did in the month of January, he could serve as the ultimate Swiss Army knife for this bench brigade.
The Bucks bet big on Ingles by signing him before the season, and they are certainly hoping he can be a game-changer off the bench in some big moments.