Milwaukee Bucks: 5 New Year’s resolutions for 2018
5. Solidify the rotation
With the acquisition of point guard Eric Bledsoe, 60 percent of the starting lineup was locked into place. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Bledsoe are going to start. But how the rest of the team is managed has been a variable that needs consistency.
The fourth-best player currently available for the Bucks has been Malcolm Brogdon, the reigning Rookie of the Year and a perfect fit at guard alongside Antetokounmpo. However, once Bledsoe joined the team, head coach Jason Kidd made the decision to slide Brogdon to the bench in order to continue starting Tony Snell.
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If the thought is that Snell works better with better players around him, that’s a reasonable decision to make. But other decisions Kidd has made — starting Matthew Dellavedova and Gary Payton II over Brogdon when Snell was hurt, or leaving Brogdon out of the rotation in a recent first half against the Minnesota Timberwolves — suggest he undervalues Brogdon’s importance, or doesn’t know how to best deploy him. Kidd needs to sort that out and use his best players at the best times.
Center is another decision to make, and one that Kidd has flip-flopped on. Last season the team’s run to the postseason was helped by starting rookie big Thon Maker, a stretch-5 who provided spacing to Antetokounmpo inside. This year as Maker has struggled, Kidd has gone to John Henson, a you-know-what-you’re-getting sort of player who kills the spacing. Is it better to raise the floor with Henson, or raise the ceiling with Maker?
The bench will need to be sorted out as well. Is Dellavedova the best option in the backcourt, or should Sterling Brown or Sean Kilpatrick get more run? With Jabari Parker and Mirza Teletovic both out at power forward, the team has moved Middleton to the 4 when Antetokounmpo sits; how do those minutes shake out when they return? And why does DeAndre Liggins keep getting so many minutes?
Milwaukee’s versatility gives Kidd a lot of options with lineups, but continually “playing the lottery” with his rotations steals consistency and rhythm from players who thrive on it. The Bucks need to solidify their rotation in 2018 if they want to compete with the best teams in the league.