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Milwaukee Bucks: 3 players entering their do-or-die Season

By Dylan Piccolo

MILWAUKEE, WI - APRIL 26: Malcolm Brogdon #13 and Eric Bledsoe #6 of the Milwaukee Bucks celebrate in the fourth quarter against the Boston Celtics during Game Six of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs at the Bradley Center on April 26, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WI - APRIL 26: Malcolm Brogdon #13 and Eric Bledsoe #6 of the Milwaukee Bucks celebrate in the fourth quarter against the Boston Celtics during Game Six of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs at the Bradley Center on April 26, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /
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MILWAUKEE, WI – APRIL 20: Malcolm Brogdon #13 of the Milwaukee Bucks handles the ball against the Boston Celtics during game three of round one of the Eastern Conference playoffs at the Bradley Center on April 20, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WI – APRIL 20: Malcolm Brogdon #13 of the Milwaukee Bucks handles the ball against the Boston Celtics during game three of round one of the Eastern Conference playoffs at the Bradley Center on April 20, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

2. Malcolm Brogdon

The second-round pick in the 2016 draft, Malcolm Brogdon has exceeded expectations in his two seasons in the NBA. The Rookie of the Year in 2016, Brogdon has averaged 12.1 points per game in his two years in the league.

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Brogdon is as efficient as it gets from the guard position, but the knock on him is that he isn’t necessarily great at one thing. He shot 38 percent from three this past season and 53 percent from the field averaging 3.2 assists and 0.9 steals a game.

The thing to like the most about Brogdon is he brings it every night and is trustworthy. He rarely takes any questionable shots and simply just runs the show. Last season, Brogdon missed 34 games due to a torn tendon in his quad and you could really see how much he was missed during that stretch of games. He is especially versatile because he can fit into both guard positions.

Brogdon won’t need to be as versatile with the deep stable of guards at both positions, but he needs to be more effective over more minutes. In Game 7 of the first round series against the Celtics, he disappeared scoring only two points on 1-for-8 shooting in 30 minutes. It was a big stage for him to disappear on which brings questions about whether or not his value would be worth it on an extension.

His extension would be approximately four-years/$40 million. This is the contract that can get them in some trouble moving forward as it did with the likes of Henson, Tony Snell, Matthew Dellavedova and Mirza Teletovic.

If you look at how most of the best rosters are constructed in the NBA, they are filled with max, mid-level, and rookie contracts. Once the Bucks get out of the poor contracts, they might be wary to get involved with those again.

It’s not necessarily that Brogdon’s talent is in question, but it’s apparent that the Bucks will have to choose between Brogdon or Bledsoe moving forward. While Brogdon might be the cheaper option he doesn’t appear to have All-Star potential that Bledsoe has. A lot of this will depend on how both players mesh with Budenholzer.

Another thought is that Brogdon may have a chance to start at the wide open shooting guard position. Although there is a stable of players at the position including Snell, Sterling Brown and Donte DiVincenzo, it’s possible Brogdon is the most prepared to take that role.

He offers Milwaukee another natural ball-handler and an above average defender for a reasonable price. If Brogdon is going to be a starter for the Bucks moving forward, signing him to a contract extension would be a great move to lock in the position for an average of around $10 million a year.

On the other hand, if he’s going to be relegated to a bench player, offering him a contract extension would be a risk the Bucks have been burned on before. Hopefully, the Bucks can evaluate long-term talent better than they have in the past, but based on their track record it is definitely a question mark moving forward.

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