Milwaukee Bucks Sign Semi Ojeleye to 1-Year Deal

For whatever the reasons may be, the Milwaukee Bucks did not bring back PJ Tucker, who reportedly signed with the Miami Heat instead. Tucker brought a tenacious defensive mentality to this team, was a starter during the their NBA Finals run, and played a key role in winning that second round series against Brooklyn.

In an effort to try and replace what Tucker added to this team — and really there is no way to fully do that — the Bucks have reportedly signed free agent Semi Ojeleye to a one-year deal.

The 26-year-old Ojeleye will be entering his fifth NBA season after spending the first four with the Boston Celtics. Among the Boston fan base, he is known as the “Giannis stopper,” and he is also known for what he brings to the defensive end of the court more so than the offensive side.

Over his four year career, Ojeleye has averaged 14.6 minutes per game off the Boston bench and tallied 2.1 rebounds and 3.5 points on just 3.0 shot attempts per game.

Like Tucker, Ojeleye’s potential impact on offense — albeit limited — will likely come from behind the 3-point line. During the last two seasons, he’s seen an improvement in his 3 point shooting by hitting 37.2 percent of his 2.3 attempts per game. Not to mention that last season, a fair share of his 3-point attempts came from the corner.

As I alluded to, although filling a similar role as Tucker, defensively Ojeleye is a downgrade but he is solid and will be able to guard opposing wings.

It was reported by Eric Nehm of The Athletic that Ojeleye did sign a minimum salary deal for this season, meaning that the Milwaukee Bucks still have their $5.9 million MLE to utilize.