Milwaukee Bucks: Who is the third-best player on the team right now?

Second-Tier Candidates

We’ll touch on each of these players’ case as the third-best player on the team before coming to a final verdict. Each of these individuals has left a lasting impact on a team that remains one of the top favorites to win the 2020 championship. The ranking of these players is subjective, but certain cases remain stronger than others due to their output on the team.

Donte DiVincenzo: A 23-year-old guard from Delaware, Donte DiVincenzo has impressed with his high basketball IQ and drive to contribute off the bench. Milwaukee is 6.2 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor this season and he ranks sixth in steals per 36 minutes of players who played at least 1,000 minutes.

The Bucks are clearly onto something with DiVincenzo. He gives great effort on defensive rotations and has the makings of a fine shooter at the professional ranks. He posted an admirable 57.0 percent true shooting this season that ranks seventh on the team.

His efforts this year have been noteworthy, but he still has a long way to go before claiming the spot as the third-best player on the team. His growth has been overlooked by the masses, but the thought of the player he can be can’t overshadow the player that he is right now.

Wesley Matthews: When Wesley Matthews tore his Achilles tendon in 2015, there was fear that it would signal the end of his career. Five years and more than $70 million later, Matthews is finally playing for an actual contender where he can contribute his 3-and D skillset in pursuit of a championship.

Though still an effective and reliable player in his own right, Matthews is shooting only 39.7 percent from the field this year, which is his lowest field goal percentage since the 2016-17 season. In his defense, 69.1 percent of his shots came from 3-point range this season. It’s difficult to maintain a high shooting percentage when that many of his shots are coming from a range where lower percentages are expected.

Of qualifying players, Matthews’ 97.8 defensive rating ranks second on the team just behind Giannis, making him one of the most valuable contributors on the best defensive team in the league. A tip of the cap goes to him for making his presence felt amongst a stacked group of players, but his average stat line on the season is 7.5 points, 2.6 boards and 1.5 assists per game. To take that third spot in the lineup, he’d need a much greater output each night.