Bucks Outlast Celtics, Brogdon Makes Case for ROY

Malcolm Brogdon has shattered expectations all season long, and Wednesday night he laid his claim to 2017 Rookie of the Year.

He led the Milwaukee Bucks to an impressive 103-100 road win against the Eastern Conference leading Boston Celtics, dominating the final few minutes.

The game had a playoff atmosphere throughout, and the Bucks looked every bit an Eastern Conference contender.  They held the lead for 38 minutes and 55 seconds and even stretched it to 14 points midway through the second quarter.

Up 55-49 at halftime, Mirza Teletovic correctly predicted during the halftime interview that the Bucks wouldn’t be able to get separation on the Celtics.

They held the lead for nearly the entire second half but were never able to get it back to double digits.  The Celtics eventually tied the game at 93 with 2:46 left in the game.  This is when Brogdon put on his steel toes and hardhat, grabbed his lunch pail, and went to work.  Milwaukee’s last seven possessions looked like this:

• 2:25 – Brogdon five foot floater to go up 2
• 1:47 – Brogdon seven foot floater to go up 4
• 1:31 – Giannis dunk and foul assisted by Brogdon to go up 4
• 1:06 – Monroe layup assisted by Brogdon to go up 5
• :38 – Giannis missed field goal
• :04 – Brogdon fadeaway 16 footer to go up 3

It was a nearly three minute stretch when last year’s 36th overall pick was the best player on the court in a game featuring two playoff teams and two All-stars.  The only disappointing part was that he never broke out the Sam Cassell big ball dance.

Brogdon finished the game with 16 points on 7/12 shooting, 4 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 block, and 1 steal.  This came one night after he recorded his second double-double (14 points and 10 assists) of the season against the Charlotte Hornets.

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The evolution of Brogdon has been a beautiful thing.  It’s funny to think that early on this season Bucks fans were debating whether he or teammate Matthew Dellavedova was the better point guard.  Brogdon has been a much better defender, more explosive and efficient around the rim, and is also more reliable with the ball.

One thing that scouts didn’t like about Brogdon coming into the NBA, besides his age, was the hitch in his jump shot.  He’s put those concerns to bed by shooting 40.4% from three point land so far this season.

Brogdon now finds himself in a position where he’s the most deserving player in an award race he’s an underdog to win.  The likely Rookie of the Year, Philadelphia’s Dario Saric, is averaging 12.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.2 assists compared to Brogdon’s 10.3, 2.8, and 4.3.

Saric has been Philadelphia’s primary scorer lately, averaging 19 points in the month of March, but this is for a team sitting at 28-47.  On the flip side, Brogdon has been the best point guard nearly all season, and especially lately, for a team currently tied for 5th place in the East.

This race will likely come down to national media attention.  NBA writers have been following the 76’ers closely the past few years to see how The Process plays out while Milwaukee, Giannis excluded, have gone mostly unnoticed by national media all season long.

There is hope, though.  The media has shifted more of their attention to the Bucks lately as they’ve won 13 of their last 16 games.  This is a trend that should continue as long as the Bucks keep winning down the stretch.

With eyes steering towards Milwaukee and the playoffs soon to follow, Malcolm Brogdon has a chance to win the award he rightfully deserves.

Bucks in 6.