Milwaukee Bucks: How should the playoff rotation be constructed?

Milwaukee Bucks: How the playoff rotation should be constructed – Starters

Heading into the playoffs, the starting lineup for the Bucks will surely remain the same as it has been all season. The interesting part will be how Budenholzer divides up the minutes between everyone and how much is allocated to each player.

Nevertheless, here’s how the minutes should be distributed for each starter:

Jrue Holiday

Minutes: 38-40 per game

In his first season with the Milwaukee Bucks, Jrue Holiday has been beyond expectations. While he’s been efficient on both ends of the floor with averages of 17.7 points, 6.1 assists, and 1.6 steals per game on 50.3 percent field goals and 39.2 percent from beyond the arc, those numbers are bound to increase in the playoffs.

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The Bucks have a 41-18 record when Jrue plays, and are 5-7 without him. Clearly, he’s extremely important to this team. Due to his outstanding ability to impact the game on so many levels along with the lack of natural ball handlers that the Bucks have, there’s no question that the two-way star should play as much as possible in the playoffs.

Holiday has been an upgrade over Eric Bledsoe at the point guard position by miles and should be poised to prove it on the biggest stage. Good results happen for Milwaukee when Jrue Holiday is on the floor.

Donte DiVincenzo

Minutes: 25-27 per game

After flying off to an insanely productive start before going through a long rough stretch mid-season, Donte DiVincenzo has seemed to regain his swagger back at the perfect time. In his last five games, the versatile guard is averaging 13.6 points per game and shooting 39.3 percent from downtown on the season.

He’s continuing to find a comfortable rhythm in his game while boosting confidence and utilizing his strengths as the starting two-guard for the Bucks. Donte fits well alongside the other starters with his high motor, intelligent instincts, adaptability, and non-stop desire to make the right play. He’s earned his playing time and will continue to do so if he stays consistent in his role.

The former Villanova standout averaged 27.5 minutes per game during the regular season, so it’s fair to assume that he’ll average about the same or a bit less than that in the playoffs as he should. DiVincenzo has had an impactful season for the most part by serving as Milwaukee’s “Swiss Army Knife” with all the little things that he does for this team, so his minutes shouldn’t be altered to a large extent unless he falls back into a slump.

Khris Middleton

Minutes: 38-40 per game

Another year, another efficient season in the works for Khris Middleton. Still one of the most underrated players in the NBA, Khris averaged 20.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 1.1 steals on 47.6 percent field goals and 41.4 percent from 3 during the regular season.

While his numbers took a slight dip from last season likely due to the arrival of Jrue Holiday, his diminished role should be looked at as a positive for both him and the team. With Jrue entering the picture, there is now less pressure and a lesser workload for Middleton on both ends of the floor.

It should allow him to accumulate increased minutes without needing as much rest, and the Bucks simply just need to play their best players as much as possible. It’s a scary sight when Khris Middleton is the third option on a team. Budenholzer needs to maximize his impact during this playoff run because when he starts rolling, Milwaukee doesn’t hold back.

Giannis Antetokounmpo

Minutes: 38-40 per game

Not much needs to be said about the minutes of Giannis Antetokounmpo. Obviously, the superstar would play all 48 minutes if he could. He’s a special talent that needs to be fed, and this could be the year where he puts it all together when it matters most.

Giannis’s minutes should be similar to those of Holiday and Middleton’s. He will need his rest with the amount of force and energy that he pushes out each possession, but unless he’s in foul trouble or having health issues, Antetokounmpo must play more in the playoffs than the previous years under Bud.

Most importantly, at least one of Giannis, Khris, or Jrue should be on the floor for the Bucks throughout the entire game during this postseason stretch.

Brook Lopez

Minutes: 24-26 per game

Brook Lopez could be the difference-maker in a series with his abilities to affect the game on both ends. His presence in the middle can be so intimidating to opponents defensively and has proved to be a threat from scoring at all levels whether it’s draining 3’s, hitting one-legged Dirk-like fadeaway jumpers, or crafting in the paint.

The big man averaged 27.2 minutes per game during the regular season, which should stay similar throughout the playoffs. Lopez’s opportunities may dip a little bit, especially in crunch time or depending on matchups, since the Bucks may opt to go smaller and utilize their small-ball lineups with Giannis at center more often.