Hoops Habit
Fansided

Milwaukee Bucks: Did They Make A Mistake Trading Brandon Knight?

By Gerald Bourguet

Jan 7, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Brandon Knight (11) drives past Philadelphia 76ers guard Michael Carter-Williams (1) during the second half at Wells Fargo Center. The Bucks defeated the 76ers 97-87. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 7, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Brandon Knight (11) drives past Philadelphia 76ers guard Michael Carter-Williams (1) during the second half at Wells Fargo Center. The Bucks defeated the 76ers 97-87. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 5
Next
Milwaukee Bucks
Apr 18, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (1) is defended by Milwaukee Bucks guard Michael Carter-Williams (5) and forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) during the second quarter in game one of the first round of the 2015 NBA Playoffs at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports /

Looking At The Future

Trading your leading scorer and assist man midseason is usually not advisable…if your team has playoff aspirations. As much as the Bucks’ resurgence has been awesome to behold this season, Kidd and company would easily tell you they’re just lucky to be here.

The focus is on development and building toward the future. Knight could be a very good player in this league, but he’s a shoot-first point guard. With the Greek Freak slowly but surely developing into the kind of player you can build a franchise around, Milwaukee wanted a floor general who could distribute the ball, defend, and lead with intangibles.

Enter Michael Carer-Williams, an admittedly raw prospect who desperately needs to develop a perimeter touch. But before you declare him a bust and condemn his poor shooting, consider that MCW bears a remarkable resemblance to Kidd in his first two seasons in the league:

Rk Player From To G MP FG% 3P 3PA 3P% eFG% FT% TRB AST STL BLK TOV PTS
1 Michael Carter-Williams 2014 2015 136 33.6 .401 0.7 2.7 .252 .424 .699 5.8 6.5 1.8 0.5 3.7 15.7
2 Jason Kidd 1995 1996 160 35.6 .383 1.3 4.1 .311 .430 .695 6.1 8.7 2.0 0.3 3.6 14.2

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 4/24/2015.

Pretty eerie, huh? Kidd was heavily criticized early on for his poor shooting skills, but that didn’t stop him from developing into one of the greatest point guards of all time. MCW has a long way to go on that front, but who better to teach him how to become the next Jason Kidd than Jason Kidd himself?

The Knight trade looks bad right now, especially with the Bucks on the verge of bowing out in the first round without winning a single game. But the Bulls are a good team and that trade was all about the long-term. For the time being, taking your licks in the playoffs and continuing development is all a part of the process of growing up.

Next: Oklahoma City Thunder: Top 5 Candidates To Replace Scott Brooks

More from Hoops Habit

Home/Milwaukee Bucks