Monroe finds comfort zone in second Bucks season
Not everything went according to plan in Greg Monroe’s first season with the Milwaukee Bucks.
After signing a three-year, $50 million deal as a highly regarded free agent, the 6-foot-11 Monroe could not have anticipated all the bumps in the road.
The Bucks won only 33 games and failed to reach the playoffs.
Monroe was assigned to the bench at various times in the season, something he was not expecting.
And during the summer following his year with the Bucks, all he heard were trade rumors and how the team was anxious to get rid of him.
Fast forward to today, nearly halfway through his second season in Milwaukee, and Monroe is still coming off the bench. But how things have changed.
The 26-year-old is playing a major role as the Bucks’ most productive center and contributing to a team with legitimate Eastern Conference playoff aspirations.
The man the fans and his teammates call “Moose” said he heard all the summer trade talk.
“No player wants that, I think,” Monroe said. “Players ask for trades, obviously. No player wants to be in those talks. I would be lying if I said I was fine with it.
“It happens. It’s a part of this league. When you sign up, you sign up for that to be a part of it. You take the good with the bad.
“I just continue to work on my game. No matter where I’m at, my work will be the same.”
Bucks coach Jason Kidd inserted Miles Plumlee as the starting center at the end of last season, and Plumlee had the first crack at the job at the beginning of this season.
But when Plumlee struggled, 6-11 John Henson took over as the starting center. Kidd liked the way Monroe helped ignite the Bucks off the bench and provided low-post scoring, and the former Detroit player also has displayed improvement on defense. Monroe is playing the most minutes (21.2 per game) of the three centers — Henson is averaging 20.1 minutes and Plumlee 9.3.
“Moose has been playing at a very high level for us, being that star off the bench that we need,” Kidd said. “He’s being a leader with that group.
“I think he’s more comfortable with his teammates and what we’re asking him to do on the floor.”
Possibly the most surprising development is that Monroe is the league’s top bench player in steals, averaging 1.31 per game, ranking just ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers' Jordan Clarkson and Philadelphia's T.J. McConnell (minimum of 20 games off the bench). That’s not something a big man figures to be doing.
“Bigs always are looked upon for blocked shots, but he’s showing he can steal the ball and be part of that group using your length and your hands,” Kidd said.
“I think it’s his IQ, too, just understanding the tendencies of the opponent.”
Monroe was surprised to find out he was ranked so high on the steals chart. But he said he has been working on it.
“It’s just making reads,” Monroe said, “just a lot of instincts. One thing we preach is being active with our hands.
“We’re doing things in practice to create good habits with that. I’m just focusing on it, reading ball handlers and being familiar with the passes they want to make.”
He also is taking charges, a skill former Bucks center Andrew Bogut showed during his time in Milwaukee.
“Moose knows how to play,” Kidd said. “We need him to continue to take those charges, come up with some steals and offensively find the open teammates and put the ball in the basket.”
Monroe has played in 36 games and is averaging 10.6 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists. He scored 14 points and added nine rebounds and four assists in the Bucks' 109-107 victory in San Antonio on Tuesday.
He has developed a strong connection with rookie point guard Malcolm Brogdon and that has stayed intact despite Brogdon’s recent move into the starting lineup.
Monroe admits everything has gone much smoother the second time around with the Bucks.
“I’m more comfortable, definitely,” he said. “A lot of people might not realize it, but in Detroit, I only had this instance where I returned to the team with the same coach once.
“It has raised my comfort level coming back and not having to learn any new lingo, any new coverages. It has been a lot easier to have no adjustment period coming into this season.”
Monroe is earning $17.1 million this season and has a player option in the third year of the deal at $17.8 million. That large salary was one reason other teams were reluctant to make a deal for him in the off-season.
When Monroe agreed to the deal with the Bucks in the summer of 2015, agent David Falk said it would give his client and the team some flexibility.
The rise of young stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker could influence Monroe’s decision this off-season, but he said that is not on his mind yet.
“We’re definitely doing some good things right now,” Monroe said. “I’m just focusing on the season anyway.
“I’m not thinking about anything like the off-season right now. There is a time and place for everything. If and when I have to make a decision, that time is not right now.”