Milwaukee Bucks: Player Power Rankings (Nov. 17-Nov. 23)
As people across the United States celebrate Thanksgiving, let’s take a look at this week’s edition of the Milwaukee Bucks Player Rankings.
Week in Review (1-2)
L: Milwaukee Bucks, 73 @ Miami Heat, 96
L: Golden State Warriors, 124 @ Milwaukee Bucks, 121
W: Orlando Magic, 89 @ Milwaukee Bucks, 93
For the second straight week, the Bucks finished 1-2, bringing the squad’s total record down to 6-7. Even though the team has dipped below .500, there is very little cause for concern. The record is far from perfect, but the team seems to get better every single night.
The loss to the Heat was a tough one to witness, but the team did a great job rallying together and put up a great fight at home against the Warriors, where they just wouldn’t go away. Also, this was another example of the Bucks truly playing small ball, with Giannis at the center position, for an extended stretch of time. Then, Milwaukee came right back against the Magic and after a rough first quarter, settled down and rode five Jabari Parker threes to their sole victory on the week.
Among the major takeaways from the week, the improvement in team chemistry has been huge. Michael Beasley is coming to play every night and brings a weird energy to the team. He is a spark plug off the bench, and there is no other way to describe it.
Next, Jason Terry is relentless with keeping his teammates and the crowd engaged. Even at 39, the man knows how to rally the troops and is showing everybody what a presence he is off the court as a teammate.
And lastly, the Jabari and Giannis chemistry in transition is almost too good, and the team is still hovering around breakeven without major contributions from their backcourt of Delly and Snelly due to their play.
Still, the dynamic duo of Major Cat and the Greek Freak cannot carry the team every night, so more players need to step it up.
And with that, let’s take a look at this week’s Player Rankings for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Biggest Riser: Jason Terry/Tony Snell ↑ 4
Fastest Fall: Greg Monroe ↓ 8
Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Although Steve Novak was the only player to truly land on the DNP list for all three games this week, with Rashad Vaughn and Thon Maker only playing a combined two minutes, they have found themselves in this spot as well.
With this being said, let’s take this time to acknowledge that after some solid play in the D-League, Mr. Showtime will be hopefully playing significant minutes with the main squad real soon.
Steve Novak
PF
Last week: DNP-CDLast rank: 14
13
Rashad Vaughn
SG
Last week: 1 GP: 1.0 min/0.0 pts/0.0 rebs/0.0 astsLast rank: 10
12
Thon Maker
C
Last week: 1 GP: 1.0 min/0.0 pts/0.0 rebs/0.0 astsLast rank: 13
Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Greg Monroe
C
Last week: 2 GP: 5.5 mins/2.0 pts/1.0 reb/0.5 astsLast rank: 3
Monroe was the “fastest faller” in this week’s edition of the Player Rankings, but that is no fault of his own. Once he starts to get the minutes, he’ll go back up near the top.
Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Miles Plumlee
C
Last week: 3 GP: 14.0 mins/4.3 pts/3.7 rebs/1.3 astsLast rank: 12
Still a long way to go for Plumlee to get back in the good graces of Milwaukee fans.
Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Mirza Teletovic
PF
Last week: 3 GP: 12.3 mins/4.3 pts/3.0 rebs/0.7 astsLast rank: 9
On an understated note, Telly had a solid week rebounding the ball. While playing 37 total minutes this week, he snagged nine rebounds. Given the fact that he has averaged 6.8 rebounds per 36 minutes for his career, this week is evidence of Telly’s ability to put himself in the right position for missed attempts by the opposition (all of his rebounds were defensive).
Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Malcolm Brogdon
PG
Last week: 3 GP: 17.3 mins/3.3 pts/3.3 rebs/1.7 astsLast rank: 5
Along with his poor shooting from deep, his percentages suffered inside the arc as well. Just 2/13 from inside the three-point area is abysmal and those numbers need to come back to normal soon for the young guard to move back into his role as the reliable backup.
Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Jason Terry
SG
Last week: 3 GP: 18.0 mins/5.7 pts/1.7 rebs/2.0 astsLast rank: 11
It might only be through a portion of the season thus far, but the Jet is showing no signs of running out of gas. As long as his minutes stay below 18 per game, he will likely stay a valuable member of this team.
Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
John Henson
C
Last week: 3 GP: 22.7 mins/7.0 pts/4.7 rebs/0.6 astsLast rank: 7
This ability to be a rim protector with a low offensive usage rate makes him a valuable asset to the Bucks as a starting center. Most people would argue that Greg Monroe is the best center on the roster, but Henson is probably better suited to play with Giannis and Jabari due to his unique play style.
Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Matthew Dellavedova
PG
Last week: 3 GP: 30.7 mins/5.7 pts/2.7 rebs/6.0 astsLast rank: 6
Yet again, he finished the week well under his career average for 3P%, as he was 2/7 from deep (28.6%). To put into perspective his poor shooting, let’s look at what he’s done for attempts and percentages to this point in his career:
| Season | Age | Tm | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-14 | 23 | CLE | 17.7 | 1.7 | 4.1 | .412 | 0.8 | 2.2 | .368 |
| 2014-15 | 24 | CLE | 20.6 | 1.7 | 4.6 | .362 | 1.0 | 2.5 | .407 |
| 2015-16 | 25 | CLE | 24.6 | 2.7 | 6.7 | .405 | 1.3 | 3.1 | .410 |
| 2016-17 | 26 | MIL | 28.9 | 3.0 | 7.4 | .406 | 0.8 | 2.7 | .314 |
Clearly this is not where he wants to be. His attempts per game are down and his percentage has dropped dramatically. Sure, he is generating assists at a high rate, but with more Point Giannis to come in the future, he should get more open looks and he should knock them down. Delly continues to find himself in the middle of the pack in these rankings each week, which is largely in part to his major role on the team, where he plays around 30 minutes per game.
Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Tony Snell
SG
Last week: 3 GP: 29.0 mins/10.0 pts/4.7 rebs/1.0 astLast rank: 8
Plus, with his much needed defense, Snell is starting to mold himself into a fine basketball player for the Bucks. Even though he rarely gets to the free throw line, he also avoids fouling on the other end and is a solid rebounder at the shooting guard slot.
Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Michael Beasley
PF
Last week: 3 GP: 18.7 mins/12.0 pts/5.3 rebs/0.3 astsLast rank: 4
Along with his scoring, B-Easy was third in rebounds for the squad, totaling seven offensive boards and nine defensive. If he keeps up this kind of scoring and rebounding, Beasley will see a more pronounced role and maybe a shot at a Sixth Man of the Year award come his way. Maybe.
Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Jabari Parker
PF
Last week: 3 GP: 35.0 mins/20.3 pts/5.3 rebs/3.3 astsLast rank: NR
Jabari was 7/15 (46.7%) from behind the arc this week and was stroking it with confidence every time he rose up for a shot. Before the season, most people thought that if Jabari could shoot just in the low 30s from three on a fair number of attempts this season it would be a massive improvement from last season. However, through 13 games, he is averaging 3.0 shot attempts from behind the arc and connecting on 38.5% of them. This is certainly a sign of good things to come.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
SF
Last week: 3 GP: 38.3 mins/21.7 pts/7.0 rebs/6.7 astsLast rank: NR
As long as the Bucks continue to be competitive, it is looking like the Greek Freak will be heading for the All-Star Game this season, and for years to come.
Check back next week for another edition of the Bucks’ Player Power Rankings and have a Happy Thanksgiving!
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