Milwaukee Bucks: 3 players who could help replace Malcolm Brogdon

3. Nikola Mirotic

For at least the first game, the player to replace Malcolm Brogdon in the starting lineup was stretch-forward Nikola Mirotic. While this was probably just a reflection of the Bucks’ matchup with the supersized Philadelphia 76ers starting lineup, there is a reason this makes sense.

Putting Mirotic in the starting lineup alongside Eric Bledsoe, Khris Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez gets the team’s best five players onto the court. His first time out there was rocky, as he shot 1-for-7 and scored just two points. Moving forward — either based on matchups or in general — Mirotic can step up as a shooter around Antetokounmpo in much the same way Brogdon did.

A career 35.8 percent 3-point shooter, Mirotic has more gravity than that number should suggest because he is unafraid to pull the trigger. He has averaged 6.2 long range attempts per game with the Bucks, tossing up a shot the second he receives the ball in many cases. Being a shooter is about hitting shots, but perhaps even more importantly it’s about forcing the defense to guard you closely.

Mirotic is not going to run the offense or chase an opposing guard around screens. He’s not a direct replacement for Brogdon. But the Bucks are going to rise and fall with how Giannis Antetokounmpo plays, and Mirotic demonstrated Sunday that his spacing can still help Antetokounmpo thrive. As long as opponents respect his shot, he can open up the paint for his superstar teammate to go to work.