Realistic scenario for Milwaukee Bucks’ Drew Timme – Drew Eubanks
Traditional big men with no floor-spacing ability have become increasingly rare in the NBA in recent years. This is due to the rise of the 3-point shot and the increasing importance of spacing the floor on offense.
The rise of the 3-point shot has made it more difficult for traditional big men to score. If a big man can’t shoot threes, they are essentially a non-factor on offense when they are outside of 10 feet from the basket. This makes it difficult for them to space the floor and create opportunities for their teammates.
As it currently stands, Timme has more in common with the likes of Goga Bitadze than any of the names previously mentioned. Given some time to grow, there are still a few big men he can emulate if he has the work ethic for it.
For this writer, the closest realistic comparison is Drew Eubanks of the Phoenix Suns. Both players are skilled scorers in the post who can finish around the rim with either hand. They’re also good rebounders who have the size and strength to compete for rebounds on both ends of the court. But both players are not great shooters from the outside, with both shooting below 30 percent from 3-point range for their careers.
Yet despite that supposedly fatal flaw, Eubanks has very clearly carved out a name for himself with his grit and hustle. It’s this commitment to the intangibles that has seemingly set him apart from other big men in the league despite being relatively undersized for the position.
Eubanks had a solid season for the Portland Trail Blazers in 2022-23. He averaged 6.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game in 64 games, which are numbers that should not be too far from what Timme is capable of. Eubanks also shot 64.1 percent from the field, which was the best percentage of his career, to go with 70.9 percent from the free-throw line.
Blake Griffin is a 6-foot-10 power forward who is known for his athleticism and his ability to score in transition. He is also a good rebounder and defender who can leverage his size and physicality to create opportunities for himself and his teammates. Another example is LaMarcus Aldridge, a 6-foot-11 power forward who is known for his midrange shooting and his ability to score in the post. He is also a good rebounder and defender but made a living off his craftiness and consistency in the post.
Timme is similar to Aldridge in terms of his midrange shooting and his ability to score in the post, while he has demonstrated a bit of Griffin’s athleticism and ability to score in transition. The difference here is that Timme is not as skilled a 3-point shooter as Aldridge, nor does he have much (if any) of Griffin’s ball-handling.
The bright spot is that these things can be learned by big men even late into their careers, as shown by the evolution of players like Brook Lopez.