As they continue making roster renovations, the Milwaukee Bucks have been connected to sign-and-trade candidate Bennedict Mathurin, as noted by HoopsHype's Michael Scotto. While Mathurin has a strong track record as a productive player, the last thing the Bucks need right now is another guard. After deploying so many undersized lineups last year, the team should know this. They need to avoid being a horrific offensive rebounding team.
Undersized lineups were a killer for Bucks
Data from Cleaning the Glass says that among five-man lineups to register at least 250 possessions last season, the Bucks had the two worst lineups NBA-wide in offensive rebounding percentage. The common theme in those lineups? The Milwaukee Bucks played three guards in all of them, leading to them being outmatched on the glass constantly.
2025-26 Poorest Offensive Rebounding Lineups… pic.twitter.com/3CqUTWb1L2
— Basketball University (@UofBasketball) August 1, 2026
The worst lineup was Rollins, Green, Trent, Kuzma, and Turner. The second one, just a few ticks down percentage-wise, puts Porter at the two spot and slides Green down to the three. It's tough for three guards who are 6-foot-5 and under to grab rebounds, but it certainly doesn't help that Milwaukee put a 6-foot-8 forward and a center who has never been much of an offensive rebounder out there.
With the Milwaukee Bucks unable to generate offensive rebounds, they left countless second-chance points on the board. Outside of their overall health, it was arguably their biggest Achilles' heel this past season.
Mathurin would only repeat this issue for Bucks
If the Milwaukee Bucks go through with a sign-and-trade for Mathurin, they would essentially commit to a three-guard pairing in their primary unit. In all likelihood, the first five would include Rollins, Herro, Mathurin, Kuzma, and Turner. Sure, that group could potentially do some things well, but they would still be outmatched on the glass constantly.
The Bucks cannot talk themselves into this move by seeing that Mathurin has played 59 percent of his career minutes at small forward, per Basketball Reference. Even if that's the case, he is still 6-foot-5. Starting small forwards in this day and age are not 6-foot-5. If Milwaukee had an opening at guard, targeting Mathurin would be far more justifiable. Yet, they do not.
For now, the Bucks should put their focus on Peyton Watson and Jonathan Kuminga, both targets they have been linked to in the rumor mill. Both are legitimate forwards who would beef up the roster and help the team avoid falling back into last season's offensive rebounding woes.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.
Add us as a preferred source on Google