Milwaukee Bucks Midseason Grades: Guards
By Kenny Jilek
![MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - NOVEMBER 19: Jrue Holiday #21 of the Milwaukee Bucks dribbles past Kenrich Williams #34 of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first half of a game at Fiserv Forum on November 19, 2021 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 John Fisher/Getty Images) MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - NOVEMBER 19: Jrue Holiday #21 of the Milwaukee Bucks dribbles past Kenrich Williams #34 of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first half of a game at Fiserv Forum on November 19, 2021 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 John Fisher/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/80523c5f5fb714597785d6de470f10a87a21f5a7c1c8bea75370b3d65e2d8bcb.jpg)
The Milwaukee Bucks have reached the halfway point of the season, and we now have a big enough sample size to evaluate player performance so far this year. It’s been a bumpy ride so far as the Bucks have struggled through a slew of injuries to key players and guys in and out of health and safety protocols, but they still find themselves close to the top of the Eastern Conference.
They even played through a stretch recently without a true point guard available, and we saw how the team took a dip and found it very hard to win. In one game, they didn’t have any of the five guards we’ll be discussing and they came up short against the Charlotte Hornets.
So, obviously, the guards are extremely important to this Milwaukee Bucks squad, but how have they all individually been performing this season?
Grayson Allen
Grayson Allen got off to a scorching hot start after being traded for Sam Merrill, and a pair of second-round picks this offseason. He scored in double figures in 16 of the Bucks’ first 18 contests and averaged 15.0 points per game over that span while knocking down 42.8 percent of his three-point attempts. In that stretch of the season, there was often one or more of Milwaukee’s big three missing, and he was thrust into the role of the third scorer and did very well with those responsibilities.
Since that initial stretch, his role has changed, and he’s had some trouble adjusting. His scoring has dipped to just 8.7 points per game, and he’s shooting 36.4 percent from the field and 33.6 percent from deep.
The rest of his numbers, including rebounds, assists, blocks, and steals, are all around his career averages and nothing to write home about. The one place he’s seen an improvement is turnovers. His turnovers per game are down, and his turnover percentage is just 5.8 percent, a big drop from his career number of 10.9 percent coming into this season.
He did have himself a nice night against the Warriors, coming off of four games that he spent in health and safety protocols, putting up 15 points, hitting three of his seven shots from behind the arc, and one pretty sweet block on Nemanja Bjelica.
Overall Season Grade: B+