Milwaukee Bucks: 4 free agents who can replace Wesley Matthews
By Franco Luna
No. 4 – Troy Brown Jr.
Troy Brown Jr. is a 23-year-old, versatile wing who is a good defender and can shoot the long ball at a pretty respectable rate. He averaged 7.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game while shooting 38.1 percent from 3-point range in 2022-23. He is expected to sign a contract in the $2-5 million range.
Brown Jr. is a good fit for the Milwaukee Bucks because he can help them on both ends of the court with his all-around production. He is a good defender who can guard multiple positions, and he can also shoot the 3-ball with relative efficiency. He would be a good addition to the Bucks’ bench, and he could also start if needed.
The Wesley Matthews comparison comes in that Troy Brown Jr. is a 6-foot-7 guard who can defend multiple positions. According to matchup data on NBA.com/stats, Brown held opposing guards to 35.7 field goal shooting, while he held forwards to 28.6 percent. He spent 73.8 percent of his time at the shooting guard spot and 26.2 percent as a forward. While he is probably a natural shooting guard, he is also capable of playing small forward effectively.
As far as completely replacing the same production and role Matthews provided, Brown is probably the one player who comes closest. He’s a stout defender who can lock up multiple positions while knocking down treys at a respectable clip to keep defenses honest.
It remains to be seen what kind of contracts these free agents may be seeking in the open market, but it wouldn’t hurt for Jon Horst to throw his hat in the ring to find out. Losing Matthews would be a blow to the Bucks. He is a valuable player, and he would be difficult to replace. However, the Milwaukee Bucks have a number of options, and they should be able to find a way to fill his role.
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