Milwaukee Bucks: 3 Things We Learned in Round One
By Matt LeVene
The Milwaukee Bucks’ Bench is Among the NBA’s Best
Going into this season, there were a lot of new faces coming off the bench for the Milwaukee Bucks. This group showed promise in the regular season but took it to another level in the Playoffs. Led by Bobby Portis and Bryn Forbes, this bench unit displayed just how good they can be. The Miami Heat had no answer for the sweet stroke of Forbes and the rest of the reserve unit.
The true test will be coming in the second round as the injury to Donte DiVincenzo leaves a void in the starting lineup. The Big Ragu plays a huge role in the defensive gameplan of the Bucks and rebounds at an elite level. With that being said, guys like Pat Connaughton, Jeff Teague, and Forbes will play extended minutes.
In the first round, Bryn Forbes stole the show with his elite spot-up shooting ability, but the Bucks bench unit excels in many more ways. The mid-season acquisition of PJ Tucker may just have been the missing piece to the puzzle for Milwaukee. The tough-nosed forward can guard any position on the floor and gives the Bucks defensive versatility that will prove paramount going forward. Backup big man Bobby Portis also shot the three-ball well, but his game much more diverse than that. He brings with him a great mid-range dynamic to the Bucks offense.
The aforementioned Pat Connaughton filled into the fifth starting spot in Game 4 and continued to be a great spark shooting the ball, and used his athleticism to dominate the defensive end of the floor. Lastly, the seasoned veteran Jeff Teague will likely transition into a bigger role with the loss of DiVincenzo. He can utilize his ball-handling and playmaking ability in his limited role to help keep the offense running smoothly in the second round and beyond.
Let’s dive into one more thing we learned in round one.