The Milwaukee Bucks need a point guard, and Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus predicts that they use some of their mid-level exception on D'Angelo Russell. It must be noted that Pincus is not reporting anything as of right now. This is simply a prediction that the Bucks could wave some money at the veteran guard to fill their vacancy at point guard, though Russell may not be the best fit.
The Bucks adding Russell could be a hit or miss situation
Russell's career has been defined by inconsistency. One night, he looks tremendous and like he could be an All-Star. The next, he might go scoreless and miss all of his shots. This past season, it was more of the latter, as Russell had his least productive year to date, averaging 12.6 points while hitting just 39 percent of his shots, including 31.4 percent from deep. Not great.
Not only would the Milwaukee Bucks be getting a hot and cold scorer, but they'd also land a player without much of a reputation defensively. While Russell can leap into passing lanes and generate a good amount of steals, he does find himself being picked on at times due to his 6-foot-3 stature. That's not the type of player the Bucks should be on the hunt for this summer.
On the flipside, this signing could give the Bucks the jolt they desperately need at point guard. He's a capable facilitator who could be useful in alleviating some of the playmaking workload off of Giannis Antetokounmpo, and he still has some big nights as a scorer in him. Next to Giannis, Russell would also have more space to go to work offensively, which could make life easier.
Would it be enough to make him return to All-Star form? That might be a stretch.
To be clear, if the Milwaukee Bucks were to sign Russell at a reasonable cost, which seems likely after the year he just had, it wouldn't be the worst move in the world. Other point guards linked to the Bucks are Dennis Schroder, Tyus Jones, and Malcolm Brogdon. Many would argue that Russell is the best of that bunch. It may all come down to how much he wants on his next deal.
D'Angelo Russell certainly shouldn't be priority No. 1 for the Milwaukee Bucks in free agency, but he could be a decent fallback option, even with the career-defining inconsistencies, if he's cheap.
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