Hoops Habit
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10 NBA Starters Who Might Be Better Off As Sixth Men

By Gerald Bourguet

Feb 23, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) dribbles as New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday (11) defends during the second half at Verizon Center. The Washington Wizards won 109 - 89. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 23, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) dribbles as New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday (11) defends during the second half at Verizon Center. The Washington Wizards won 109 - 89. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 25, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Milwaukee Bucks center Greg Monroe (15) reacts during the second half of a game against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Greg Monroe

How quickly things can change in this league. It was only eight months ago that Greg Monroe‘s decision to sign with the Milwaukee Bucks was one of the NBA’s best feel-good stories. Just a few months later, he was being shopped at the trade deadline to no avail.

With the Bucks’ defense plummeting from second in defensive rating in 2014-15 to the bottom-five in 2015-16, head coach Jason Kidd made a bold move in moving Moose to the bench.

Ever since then, the Bucks have been far more competitive, their Big Three of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Jabari Parker have been scoring in bunches, and the defense has posted a far more respectable defensive rating of 102.7 (eighth in the NBA over the last nine games).

Monroe’s individual numbers are slightly better as a starter (16.5 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 2.3 APG) compared to his numbers coming off the bench (15.2 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 2.1 APG), but the difference in defensive rating, not to mention his -1.2 point differential with the starters compared to his +1.8 point differential coming off the bench raises some interesting questions about his long-term fit in Milwaukee.

More hoops habit: NBA: 20 Players Turning Their Seasons Around

Anytime you’re being benched for Miles Plumlee, your ceiling can only be so high in your current situation. Monroe has the low-post repertoire to be useful to a team, but his defensive flat-footedness makes him a tough play against the NBA’s elite, and at this point, it seems like the only way to mitigate his deficiencies on the defensive end is to bring him off the bench as a sixth man.