Milwaukee Bucks: Recommending a playoff rotation to Joe Prunty

Center

• John Henson: 29 minutes
• Tyler Zeller: 15 minutes
• Giannis Antetokounmpo: 4 minutes

John Henson was the odd man out last season, even when healthy. Rookie Thon Maker was causing stats and NBA fans across the league to lose their minds in excitement for his unicorn skills, and Greg Monroe ran the offense off the bench.

This season Monroe was shipped to the Phoenix Suns in the Eric Bledsoe trade, and Thon Maker has regressed to the point of being unplayable. Early in the season it was maddening how Kidd refused to play Maker over Henson; now to do so would be unthinkable. Henson has been the much better player.

The Bucks’ sole trade near the deadline was to acquire Tyler Zeller from the Brooklyn Nets, a deal that seemed low-risk and low-reward. But Zeller has been solid for the Bucks, who have a +3.5 net rating when he is on the court. He has been a great fit for the Antetokounmpo-Parker pairing, and brings an energy to the court that Maker simply wasn’t.

Although Antetokounmpo often takes the faster opponent when he and Parker play the forward positions, deploying him at center in the right matchups unlocks something different. He has the length to protect the rim inside, and his defensive instincts shut down pick-and-rolls where the big is not an elite rim-runner. These lineups have yet to blossom, but the potential lurks waiting to be unlocked.

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In the end, a nine-man rotation seems to make the most sense for the Bucks, with the flexibility to slide up to 10 (by adding in minutes for Jason Terry) or down to eight by increasing minutes for Antetokounmpo and Middleton. Ultimately it will come down to which combinations work the best for a team trying to turn a mildly disappointing season into a postseason success.