Milwaukee Bucks: 5 reasons to be optimistic after 2016-17 season

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March 18, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Tony Snell (21) dribbles the basketball against Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) during the third quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Bucks 117-92. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

Role Players given room to shine

Head coach Jason Kidd has received plenty of criticism on his in-game coaching decisions. From the management of rotations to his after timeout plays, Kidd is considered among the bottom half of coaches in the league, and most likely deserves that evaluation.

But how many coaches have the track record that Kidd does in taking undervalued players and letting them shine? Not only has Giannis Antetokounmpo developed under his watch, but a number of players discarded by the league have grown to fill key roles for the Bucks.

Khris Middleton was an afterthought in the trade that sent Brandon Jennings to Detroit for Brandon Knight. While both Knight and Jennings have moved on from their respective teams, the tossed-in Middleton is thriving as a two-way wing for the Bucks. Fighting to come back early from a major hamstring tear, Middleton was the team’s second-best player down the stretch for Milwaukee.

Prior to this season, in the wake of Middleton’s injury, the Bucks needed another option on the wing. They proceeded to trade Michael Carter-Williams, a washout point guard with very little value, to the Chicago Bulls for Tony Snell, a 2-guard yet to make an impact on the league.

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Fast forward to May, and Snell started nearly the entire season for Milwaukee. His length and hustle enabled him to guard opposing wings, and spotting up around Antetokounmpo he knocked down 40.6 percent of his three-point attempts. Snell’s effective field goal percentage skyrocketed, and he put up career numbers in points, three-pointers and steals.

Michael Beasley was another player added in the wake of the Middleton injury, when the Bucks traded another low-value point guard prospect to the Houston Rockets for the journeyman forward. Bouncing between NBA benches and Chinese leagues, Beasley’s main accomplishment of the past few seasons was drawing the first technical foul on Draymond Green, who was eventually suspended for Game 5 of the NBA Finals after receiving his fourth technical foul point.

Yet despite more low expectations Beasley thrived in Milwaukee this season, rotating with Mirza Teletovic as the backup 4. In the games following the loss of Jabari Parker for the season Beasley stepped up in a major way, scoring double digit points in six of the next seven games before going down with an injury of his own.

Jason Kidd’s public platform means he’s easily scrutinized, but it’s unfair to critique the in-game coach and ignore the developer, the man who has overseen stars being formed and one man’s garbage turned into Milwaukee’s gems. Whether Beasley and Snell stick around next season, or the organization brings in other role players to fill the roster, Kidd has shown he can work magic with what he’s given.

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Looking ahead to next season and beyond, there will be plenty of magic in store for the Milwaukee Bucks.

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