Milwaukee Bucks: Grading The Offseason
Luring Greg Monroe
Re-signing Khris Middleton and keeping the team’s young core intact automatically made it a successful summer for the Bucks, but landing a B-list stud like Greg Monroe somehow made it even better — especially since he turned down major markets like the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers in the process.
Last season with the Detroit Pistons, Monroe averaged 15.9 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. For a Bucks team that needed a more definitive solution at center, Greg Monroe is an excellent pickup that no one saw coming. That was the biggest position of need for Milwaukee, and the Bucks addressed it with one of the best free agent options at center.
Pachulia played well for Milwaukee this past season, but he’s 31 years old. John Henson figures to be a long-term fixture for the Bucks, but he’s capable of playing the 4 or the 5 and he’s still not quite ready to be the answer at center. At age 24, Henson is already a terrific rim protector, but he’s not strong enough to bang in the paint against stronger centers, and Milwaukee will be content with him logging time as Monroe’s backup.
Khris Middleton played an important recruiting role in Bucks landing Greg Monroe, it turns out. "I was bugging him quite a bit," KM said.
— cfgardner (@cf_gardner) July 9, 2015
Monroe is only six months older than Henson, but he’s much more well established on the offensive end. He’s a great playmaker when he catches the ball from the elbows and for a team that struggled to create its own offense last year, Monroe’s scoring ability out of the post could be a huge addition.
However, this isn’t a completely ideal acquisition from a basketball standpoint. While Monroe figures to be an excellent addition offensively, he could very easily diminish the strength of the league’s second best defense last season. Henson and Pachulia may not be on a lot of people’s radars, but they did help the Bucks protect the paint at an elite level.
The flatfooted Monroe is no such player, giving up 55.1 percent shooting to opponents on shots within five feet, per NBA.com. He’s incapable of switching the pick-and-roll and he’s no rim protector either. Between him and the return of Jabari Parker, Milwaukee’s defense will almost assuredly take a step backward this season.
That being said, Monroe is still young and will thrive on at least one end of the floor where the Bucks needed help last year. If Kidd can coax passable defense out of his new big, signing Monroe to a three-year, $50 million deal will be a steal. Even if he can’t, the Bucks still have plenty of other capable defenders. Milwaukee should be fine in the East, even if Monroe is as bad as advertised on the defensive end.
Grade: A-
Next: Coping With Bench Needs