Last season, Taurean Prince played an important role for the Milwaukee Bucks as the team’s starting small forward. He had a solid offensive season overall, including shooting an eye-catching 44 percent from three. However, his best work came when he was spotting up, and he struggled shooting the ball in other situations.
Taurean Prince is solely a spot-up shooter
The season-long shooting splits don’t lie. Last season, Prince shot 49.6 percent on set jumpers but just 31.6 percent on step-backs and a paltry 28.9 percent on pull-up jumpers. Shooting off the dribble was a relative rarity for Prince but still something he struggled with in his limited chances.
The greatness of the NBA’s best shooters, such as Stephen Curry and Damian Lillard, makes it easy to forget the limitations of many long-range specialists. The very best are able to get their shots off in any scenario and have tight handles that they can convert into quick releases, but Prince’s shooting is much more situational. He’s never had the tightest or more fluid handle to enable more extracurricular shooting.
In order for Prince to elevate his contributions to the next level, he needs to eliminate non-spot up jumpers even more than he already has. These shots are not reliable and often bail out the opposing defense. Instead, Prince needs to focus on his existing strengths as a spot-up shooter and know when to pass the ball to a better option.
It would be different if he was a young player still developing his full offensive package, like Ryan Rollins or even AJ Green. But Taurean Prince is heading into his 10th NBA season and has passed the age of 30. Unfortunately, it’s very unlikely for him to add a significant new element to his game which has not been a reliable weapon at any point in his career so far.
With the Bucks’ limitations this season, it’s even more important for the role players to pick their spots wisely. They lack any proven self-creators outside of Giannis Antetokounmpo, so they need to make sure they get the most out of every trip down the floor.
For Prince, simplifying his offensive role to spotting up will also help conserve his energy for defense, where the Milwaukee Bucks may rely on him for important perimeter matchups. Putting role players in positions to succeed rather than overtaxing them will be key for the Bucks’ limited roster.
Dribbling limitations aside, Prince is still an incredible shooter. He has shot a very respectable 38 percent from three over his career, including multiple seasons over 40 percent. Last season, he was one of the league’s premier spot-up threats - especially from the left corner, where he shot a scorching 51 percent.
He’s still a great fit next to Giannis’ defense-collapsing drives and subsequent kick-outs, as long as he doesn’t exceed his given role.