Bucks rookies prepping to build on solid start
Throughout the Milwaukee Bucks’ playoff series against the Toronto Raptors, many writers, pundits and fans expressed astonishment regarding the Bucks’ starting lineup. Not only did coach Jason Kidd start rookies Malcolm Brogdon and Thon Maker, but they held their own.
Somehow, Kidd and the Bucks had turned Maker, a shockingly early pick at No. 10 in last year's draft, and Brogdon, a second-round selection, into crucial, contributing members of a competitive playoff squad. Each had his ups and downs, but they were both undoubtedly key and deserving members of Milwaukee's postseason rotation.
So what's next for that precocious pair as they head into their first NBA off-season? For Maker, it starts with staying in Milwaukee and living in the gym.
“It was amazing; unexpected," Maker said of his rookie season in which he appeared in 57 regular-season games, including 34 starts. "Early on in the season, I didn’t think I would be playing at all. I thought I was just going to be on ‘Project: Build Maker’ and just continue to build my body, but that's this summer now.
"I thought that's what this year was going to be about but everything turned around, I worked hard and it turned out to be way more than I expected."
Maker started the final 31 games of the season as well as all six in the playoffs. During the postseason, he averaged 5.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.8 blocks in 19.3 minutes per game. Maker recorded a career-high five blocks in Game 6 on Thursday, the most by a Bucks player since Joe Smith had five blocks in a game during the 2004 playoffs.
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Those blocks aren't what will stand out to him about that game, though. Rather, he'll remember one of the biggest plays, when DeMar DeRozan blew by him for a dunk with less than a minute left, a play that occurred immediately after Maker was subbed in for defensive purposes in a three-point game.
"That's a big lesson for me," Maker said. "I have to screenshot that mentally. One of our team rules is not to allow middle drives, so I'll think about that over and over again in the summer. Can't wait until next year."
Brogdon had an up-and-down series following an uncommonly consistent season for a rookie. In particular, his shooting numbers fluctuated from game-to-game as he battled on the defensive end, trying to limit Raptors all-star guard Kyle Lowry.
“It was tough, he’s one of the best point guards in the league, and he’s resilient and he’s mature," Brogdon said. "You can just tell by the way he approaches the game, the way he refocuses each game. I actually learned a lot by just playing against him."
The ending wasn't ideal, but Brogdon's rookie season was an undeniable success. After getting picked 36th after five years at the University of Virginia, the 6-foot-5 point guard quickly convinced the Bucks that he was someone they could rely upon. After the draft but before the season, the Bucks traded both Michael Carter-Williams and Tyler Ennis, paving the way for Brogdon to become a rotation player.
"When the team puts that amount of trust in you, you have no choice but to be confident in yourself and rise to the challenge," Brogdon said.
He certainly did that, averaging 10.2 points, 4.2 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game while shooting 40.4% from three-point range. His exploits put him high in the conversation for rookie of the year, an award that will be announced on June 26.
Brogdon would be excited to be recognized as the rookie of the year, but it's not something he's worried about. Instead, he is focused on continuing to build on the foundation he set this season.
“I’m going to continue to shoot the 3 and make sure it gets better," he said. "I think my post game can get better. I think my in-between game, coming off ball screens and creating space for my shot can get better. And then my finishing around the rim."
Decisions looming: The Bucks have 10 players under contract heading into the off-season, with a few notable decisions still on the horizon — some of which are in their hands and some are in the hands of the players.
Of the five players who are up in the air, center Greg Monroe's player option for 2017-'18, which comes with a price tag of $17.9 million, is one of the biggest question marks. Monroe averaged 11.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals while playing 22.5 minutes per game and established himself as one of the top bench players in the NBA.
Outside of Monroe, backup center Spencer Hawes has a player option for about $6 million while backup forward Michael Beasley and 39-year-old guard Jason Terry are unrestricted free agents. Monroe, Hawes, Beasley and Terry were not among the players made available for comment during Friday's exit interviews with the media.
The Bucks have more control over the future of Tony Snell, as the 6-foot-7, 25-year-old guard will be a restricted free agent this summer. Snell came to Milwaukee in a preseason trade with Chicago and played a pivotal role, starting all 86 games in which he played with the Bucks. He averaged 8.5 points per game and led the squad in three-pointers (144) while shooting 40.6% from long range.
“I just take it day by day," Snell said regarding the free-agency process. "Relax my mind, my body, be around my family. … Just living my normal life now and living life until that conversation starts.”
Catching a break: Matthew Dellavedova has never had an off-season like the one he'll have this summer. For the first time since his NBA debut in 2013, he's actually going to have some extended opportunities to relax and work on his game.
"I don't have any national team commitments this summer, so this summer's been circled on my calendar for a while to really be able to put in some good off-season work on my body and on my game to really get better and come back next season improved and ready to go," he said.
The Cleveland Cavaliers didn't make the playoffs during Dellavedova's rookie season in 2013-'14, but he had a short summer as he competed for Australia in the FIBA World Cup. He followed that by going to the NBA Finals with the Cavaliers in back-to-back seasons then played in the Olympics this past summer before joining the Bucks.
In his first year with the Bucks, Dellavedova took on a larger role, setting career highs in points (577), assists (357), steals (53) and minutes (1,986), though he also had his highest turnover rate (3.4 per 100 possessions) and his worst three-point shooting percentage (36.6%).
"I probably, well, I didn't play as well as I would have liked this year, but I think I still helped the team," Dellavedova said. "I think the big thing for me is to keep working on my body and that will allow other parts of my game to improve. Keep working on my shot and keep working on my ball handling so I can get in the paint and make plays for the team or myself finishing. I'm going to obviously talk to the coaches and get a plan together with them and attack this summer and get better."
Outside of basketball, Dellavedova had this summer circled for other reasons, including a visit home to Australia.
"I've got some things planned later in the summer — I'm getting married actually, so that's been on the calendar," he said. "Apart from that, I haven't really planned out the next month or anything because I was hoping to still be playing."