Most important role players for the Milwaukee Bucks: Jae Crowder
This might come as a shock for some since he’s hardly played in a Milwaukee Bucks uniform, but Jae Crowder’s impact on the team will be the greatest for any role player.
He played in just 18 games the entire year for the Milwaukee Bucks in 2022-23 but was incredibly productive when called to action. He shot 47.9 percent from the floor and 43.6 percent from deep, which were both the highest totals he’s had since the 2019-2020 season. Yes, that is a very small bite of the entire meal. However, it shows he can be a useful role player.
Make no mistake about it, the Milwaukee Bucks should be very thankful that Crowder decided to stick around for the foreseeable future. After being a non-factor in the first round exit to the Miami Heat in the playoffs, he admitted he was puzzled as to why the team traded for him. However, he wanted to stay with the team and felt very welcomed by the Milwaukee Bucks, which led to him signing a contract for another year with the team. With him being on the roster for at least another year, it assures that the Milwaukee Bucks will have that defensive stopper who can be their go-to guy to shut down an opposing team’s top player.
It was clear in the playoffs that the Milwaukee Bucks had an incredibly hard time covering Jimmy Butler. Now that Mike Budenholzer is no longer the head coach and Adrian Griffin brings a very defensive forward mindset, this will skyrocket Crowder’s position in the rotation. Coach Griffin could lean heavily onto Crowder to being the defensive specialist, which would help to give Jrue Holiday a bit of a break, considering his heavy offensive responsibility.
Crowder is also no stranger to playing in big-time moments, considering he was on the losing end of the NBA Finals in 2021 after the Milwaukee Bucks took down his then-Phoenix Suns. Crowder’s significance will be great this year for the Bucks and can be the final piece to put together in building another run to a championship.
There’s no question this entire roster is filled with talented players, both stars and role players. But these five players will have a substantial impact on the Milwaukee Bucks and can ultimately be the reason that the team can push for another title this upcoming season.
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