Milwaukee Bucks: 2015-16 Season Outlook
Three Key Storylines (cont.)
3. Is Michael Carter-Williams Any Good?
The verdict is still out on Michael Carter-Williams. Ask any Philadelphia 76ers fan about MCW’s future in this league and the ones that still (somehow) trust the process will tell you he’s garbage. Ask any Milwaukee Bucks fan and the answer is a touch more optimistic, ranging from “maybe he’ll be okay” to “it’s been half a season, chill out” to “M-C-TRIPLE-DOUBLE-U.”
But after the Bucks traded Brandon Knight away in a three-team deal that landed them MCW, here’s a look at how Milwaukee’s offensive numbers were impacted for the rest of the 2014-15 season (with league ranks in parentheses). It’s not pretty:
- Point Differential: +2.0 —> -2.5
- Field Goal Percentage: 46.6% (5th) —> 44.5% (19th)
- Three-Point Percentage: 37.8% (3rd) —> 33.3% (24th)
- Free Throw Percentage: 77.3% (8th) —> 72.8% (22nd)
- Offensive Rating: 102.1 (17th) —> 97.5 (27th)
The Bucks stayed about even in defensive rating, assists, steals and opponent field goal percentage, which is good news for a young player who needs to continue to work hard on that end. The question now is whether or not he can develop a serviceable jump shot to help spread the floor.
When you let go of a player who was shooting 41 percent from downtown like Knight was last year, you’re more than likely going to take a step backward on that front. MCW’s putrid 14.3 percent shooting from deep in his time in Milwaukee was hard to stomach by comparison, but his number of long range attempts was down compared to his time in Philly — making why his 43 percent shooting overall a more encouraging figure.
Don’t forget, Jason Kidd wasn’t much of a shooter early in his career either. But he emerged as one of the game’s most well-rounded players, a regular triple-double threat who will go down in history as one of the greatest players to ever play the position. Comparing his first two years in the league with MCW’s first two seasons, you can see some clear similarities:
| Rk | Player | Season | Age | G | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Carter-Williams | 2014-15 | 23 | 66 | 32.6 | 5.5 | 13.9 | .396 | 0.5 | 2.3 | .235 | .694 | 5.3 | 6.7 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 3.8 | 14.6 |
| 2 | Jason Kidd | 1995-96 | 22 | 81 | 37.5 | 6.1 | 16.0 | .381 | 1.6 | 4.9 | .336 | .692 | 6.8 | 9.7 | 2.2 | 0.3 | 4.0 | 16.6 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 9/16/2015.
No one should go declaring Carter-Williams to be the next Jason Kidd, but if anyone were to tap into his full potential, wouldn’t it be Jason Kidd? The 2015-16 season will give us a look at what MCW is capable of in his first full season in a winning environment, and Bucks fans will be hoping Kidd’s tutelage can pay off for this moldable talent.
Next: Best, Worst Case Scenarios