Milwaukee Bucks: Player grades against the Boston Celtics

It was a complete team effort for the Milwaukee Bucks to take down the Boston Celtics. Let’s grade each player’s performances.

The Milwaukee Bucks were able to complete a gentleman’s sweep of the Boston Celtics and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 18 years. Sure, they have the probable 2018-19 MVP in Giannis Antetokounmpo. But this series was about more than just the Greek Freak.

It was true team performance, as everyone had their role to play. Each player who saw meaningful minutes for the Bucks in this series contributed in some way, shape or form. Let’s grade how each player performed against the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.

Brook Lopez: D+

Lopez was just about the only player for the Bucks who was downright bad against Boston. He struggled mightily from deep-connecting on only six of his 27 attempts (22.2 percent) and averaging less than six points and 4.5 rebounds per game.

He still provided solid interior defense which prevents his grade from being any lower. Still, Milwaukee will need a lot more out of him in the next round.

Nikola Mirotic: C+

The Celtics targeted Mirotic on defense and instructed their guys to attack him at every turn. He held up better than most expected, but still had his moments where he was a liability. Regardless, he worked hard on every possession and showed a lot of grit and toughness.

He got hot during a couple of games, but only finished by knocking down 34.5 percent of his threes. That number can come up quite a bit considering how good of an outside shooter Mirotic is. There’s definitely room to grow, but it wasn’t the worst performance for Mirotic against the Celtics.

Giannis Antetokounmpo: A

After getting shut down in Game 1, Antetokounmpo came back with a vengeance. He quickly figured out the Celtics’ defense and tore them apart. Whether it be with scoring (28.4 points per game this series) or passing (5.2 assists) Antetokounmpo took what the defense gave him and ripped them apart.

He was also fantastic on the defensive end. He was the alternative rim-protector behind Lopez and forced the Celtics into a lot of tough shots. He really showed why he’s the best two-way player in the entire NBA.

Khris Middleton: A-

Fans have been debating all season long whether Middleton is truly worth a max contract or not. Well, he showed out in the playoffs for the second consecutive year and made a strong statement. He averaged 19.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists while shooting 47.2 percent from downtown. Unfortunately, he shot just 32.5 percent on twos.

Although Middleton has room to improve inside the arc, we can overlook that for now. He played stellar defense and made quite a few hustle plays he didn’t make in the regular season. He’s clearly playing harder and better and that has gone a long way for him and his team.

Eric Bledsoe: B-

Bledsoe is the hardest player to grade. He was so inconsistent from one game to the next, at least on the offensive side of the ball. He ended the series averaging 13.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. No matter how good or bad his offense was, he always brought it on the defensive end of the floor. He was one of the primary defenders on Kyrie Irving, who had an awful series, and that shouldn’t be overlooked when grading his performance.

George Hill: A+

Nobody expected Hill to make this much of an impact when he was acquired via trade form the Cleveland Cavaliers. Yet, here he is taking over stretches of the game and playing stellar defense. Hill connected on 47.4 percent of his threes and averaged 14.2 points per game against Boston. If he can keep it up, the Bucks are that much more dangerous.

Pat Connaughton: B+

Connaughton is another part of the Bucks’ bench mob that made a huge impac tin his game. He made just 32 percent of his threes, but he had a game or two where he got hot for small portions. That was enough considering his role and he provided the Bucks a huge boost with Brogdon recovering from injury. Now, about jumping on those closeouts…

Ersan Ilyasova: C+

Ilyasova was solid, if nothing else, for the Bucks. He provided some energy on the offensive glass, solid defense and the occasional three-pointer. It appears his best days are behind him, but he’s still good enough to be a rotational player for Milwaukee.

Sterling Brown: D+

Brown started the first game, experienced back spasms late in that game, and then basically fell out of the rotation the rest of the way. He still appeared in four of the five games, but it was mostly mop-up duty. Brown might just need the offseason to get fully prepared for the speed and physicality of the playoffs, but this is still a great learning experience for him.

Not graded: Tim Frazier, D.J. Wilson, Tony Snell and Malcolm Brogdon

This group mostly played in garbage time and didn’t have any real impact on the series. Brogdon did return in Game 5 which is huge for the Bucks moving forward. He knocked down a three and had a couple of drives that resembled his normal, healthy self. That’s great for Milwaukee, as it gives them more firepower for the Eastern Conference Finals.