Milwaukee Bucks 2019-20 NBA season player grades – Starters
Eric Bledsoe
Eric Bledsoe came into this season with high expectations as the starting point guard for a championship-contending team, but he was not even close to meeting those expectations. In fact, he was worse than last season in almost all statistical categories.
Bledsoe averaged just 14.9 points, 5.4 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and 0.9 steals per game on 47.5 percent field goals over the course of the 2019-20 NBA regular season. Unfortunately, he took a step down in the postseason as well, averaging 11.9 points per game on an abysmal 38.8 percent field goals and 25.0 percent from 3-point range.
On the bright side, his defensive presence served as an impactful contribution that helped shape Milwaukee’s top-tier defensive identity and as a result, Bledsoe was later named to the All-Defensive Second Team. Although, his strong defensive abilities don’t hide the fact that his offense and decision-making was exploited throughout the season and was a liability offensively for the most part.
There are no excuses for Bledsoe, who may have just hit his third strike as a Milwaukee Buck.
Player Grade: C-
Wesley Matthews
In his first season with the Milwaukee Bucks, Wesley Matthews did a terrific job defining his role as a 3 and D specialist. Wes averaged 7.4 points per game with shooting averages of 39.6 percent from the floor and 36.4 percent from beyond the arc. In addition, Matthews shot 39.5 percent on 3’s during the postseason while playing exceptional defense.
The 33-year-old veteran was a valuable presence in the locker room, well-respected amongst his teammates, an essential piece to the traditional pregame wrestling antics, and truly made the most out of his role with his non-stop effort, hustle, ball pressure, communication, and determination to win.
Matthews proved to be an important acquisition to this team and was certainly worth the inexpensive $2.5 million that he was owed this season.
Player Grade: B+
Khris Middleton
It was another memorable, outstanding season for Khris Middleton. After signing a massive five-year, $177.5 million contract extension in July of 2019, Khris averaged a career-high 20.9 points per game, career-high 6.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists on career-high 49.7 percent fields goals, 41.5 percent from 3, and career-high 91.6 percent from the free throw line this season. Evidently, this was a career-high year for the 29-year-old wing.
Middleton concluded the regular season falling short of the 50-40-90 club, but it was remarkable what he was able to accomplish this season in terms of efficiency. He was 0.3 percent away from joining an elite group of players that included Larry Bird (twice), Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry to average over 20 points per game with 50-40-90 shooting percentages in a single season.
Despite all the impressive statistics that included a career-high 51-point game against the Washington Wizards and an efficient stretch of performances that led to his second consecutive All-Star appearance, Middleton was still snubbed from the All-NBA Third Team this season. It’s a blow that he was unable to make it even though he received more votes than both guards — Ben Simmons and Russell Westbrook — that received the honor (Middleton was classified as a forward).
Khris Middleton continues to prove that he’s one of the most underrated and underappreciated players in this league following a spectacular 2019-20 NBA season.
Player Grade: A
Giannis Antetokounmpo
There’s no denying the fact that Giannis Antetokounmpo had one of the most purely dominant seasons in NBA history. Offensively and defensively, Giannis was absolutely magnificent on both ends of the floor.
To begin with, he posted averages of 29.5 points, 13.6 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.0 blocks, and 1.0 steals on 55.3 percent field goals in just 30.4 minutes per game. On top of that, he improved his 3-point shooting as he raised it from 25.6 percent last season to 30.4 percent this season, and also made a career-high 5 3’s against the Los Angeles Lakers when they hosted them in Milwaukee.
Per 36 minutes, Giannis averaged an unbelievable 34.9 points, 16.1 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game, which is incredibly jaw-dropping. More impressively, Giannis finished the season with the highest Player Efficiency Rating in NBA history with a PER of 31.9.
Here are some of the other impressive rankings, awards, and honors that Giannis took away from the 2019-20 NBA season:
- Most Valuable Player
- Defensive Player of the Year
- All-NBA First Team
- All-Defensive First Team
- 97.1 Defensive Rating (1st)
- 5.0 Defensive Win Shares (1st)
- 11.5 Box Plus/Minus (1st)
- 4 triple-doubles (6th)
At just 25 years old, Giannis Antetokounmpo joined Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon as the only players in NBA history to win both MVP and DPOY in the same season. It really is unreal what Giannis has done within the last two seasons as the back-to-back MVP, and the scary part is that he still has plenty of room for improvement. There should be no argument for Giannis’ player grade this season.
Player Grade: A+
Brook Lopez
Brook Lopez was a gigantic piece to the Bucks’ defensive schemes and effectively played his role within head coach Mike Budenholzer’s system. He’s been a prime example of how the traditional center position is changing in this modern era with his ability to space the floor offensively and efficiently convert 3-point attempts while cleansing and controlling the paint defensively.
In the regular season, Brook averaged 12.0 points and 2.4 blocks (2nd in the NBA) per game on 43.5 percent field goals, but was magnificent in the playoffs. He shined when it mattered most, and averaged 15.8 points per game on 53.5 percent field goals and 39.6 percent from downtown throughout the postseason. There’s a reason why he’s nicknamed “Splash Mountain.”
Brook was clearly the third-best player on the Bucks this season, mainly due to his dominant presence defending the interior. He finished the season with a 100.2 Defensive Rating (2nd in the NBA) behind only Giannis, which helped get him enough votes to be selected to the All-Defensive Second Team for the first time in his career.
The Milwaukee Bucks wouldn’t be as successful as they were this season without the impact of Brook Lopez, and Brook has become the ideal player at the center position for this team.
Player Grade: A