Milwaukee Bucks: Greg Monroe Progress Report

Offense

Through the team’s first 12 games, Monroe is averaging a career high 16.6 points per game. He’s shooting 52.9 percent from the floor — the most efficient he’s been since he shot 55.1 percent as a rookie on a meager 6.9 shot attempts per game.

Now he’s taking nearly twice as many shots on a nightly basis, and though he’s just been “average” around the basket, the fact that a whopping 124 of his 155 field goal attempts have come from that area of the floor shows he’s sticking to his strengths and not trying to do too much to save what was the league’s sixth worst offense last year.

So far, Monroe has had a couple of rough outings, such as his four-point, 1-for-6 performance in a blowout loss to the Washington Wizards. But he’s also had a few great nights, like his 23-point, 13-rebound performance in the team’s first win of the season, or his 16-point, 17-rebound display in Milwaukee’s impressive double-overtime win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

From an individual standpoint, Monroe hasn’t been superlative, but he’s been solid. He’s got five double-doubles in 12 games, has reached the 20-point threshold four times and he’s shot 50 percent or better from the field eight times. The fact that he’s done all this, while also averaging 3.0 assists per game, suggests he’ll get even better as he grows more acclimated to his new teammates.

Next: Defense