Milwaukee Bucks : 5 Keys To Success In 2016-17
By Gary Gorski
John Henson Needs Minutes
John Henson is slated to make over $12 million next season and for his four-year career with the Milwaukee Bucks has averaged 19 minutes per game. One of those numbers is out of whack and it’s the minutes.
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Henson’s agility and mobility are sought after in the modern day NBA big man. This is in contrast with teammate Greg Monroe, who, talented though he may be, is a throwback to the slow, plodding big man days of the NBA. Monroe is both a contributor to the glacial pace of the team offensively and a defensive liability against anyone who doesn’t fit a similar style as himself.
Henson topped the 20 minute mark only 19 times this season. In those games he averaged nearly 11 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.3 blocks in about 23 minutes per game. Looking at players who played a significant amount of minutes this season on a Per 36 Minutes basis, Henson would rank second in the entire league in blocks, trailing only Hassan Whiteside.
In terms of rim protection Henson’s 42.3 percent is right there with the likes of Rudy Gobert (41.0 percent). Meanwhile, Whiteside is at 46.9 percent meaning that Henson is not just stuffing the box score with empty stats — he’s also playing great defense around the basket.
Next: Making Changes