While it is true that the team's core is very young, the offseason additions of Jonas Valanciunas and Nerlens Noel were supposed to bring the team closer to a post-season appearance. Still, the backcourt rotation was a question mark in all pre-season predictions, and the team has struggled for the most part with turnovers. Lately that issue has been solved but at the cost of defensive toughness. All in all, not looking promising for the team.
Drafting Brandon Ingram with the first overall pick brought the city a sense of excitement. However, as a rookie he needs time to adapt to the pro game. His critics started going early by saying he showed no signs of improvement over training camp, but Ingram was close to a "finished product" when he left college. But playing in the pros is a different story. Truth to be told, his numbers are very solid for a rookie, specially when he is playing in a team with one of the slowest paces in the CSL: 14.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.1 blocks and 0.6 steals in 31.4 minutes per contest. It is even more interesting his 43.0 % three-point shooting on 86 attempts (3.3 per game). He does a solid job on defense which should get even better over time, and his contributions in many different areas make him a special player.
The two aforementioned additions are actually playing at the expected level. Valanciunas is leading the team in both scoring with 17.3 points per game and rebounding with 9.4 rebounds, while adding also 1.3 blocks, 1.0 assists and 0.6 steals. As for Noel, despite playing only 28.4 minutes per contest and missing a few games he is posting good numbers: 11.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, 1.0 assists and 0.6 steals per game.
Regarding the rest of the team, we will extensively talk about Thon Maker next month in a special issue, but it is true that some have not delivered as expected so far. David Stockton, after leaving a very good impression last season, is struggling with his shot and also with turnovers. Reggie Bullock has been a bit up and down and Quincy Acy started the season cold, but he has been playing better lately. And what about first year head coach Chris Duhon?
But reality is that the Bucks staff would be better watching college basketball as the team looks to be heading to another high lottery selection. Nevertheless, we all know this team's culture is to fight every game. In fact, the team was able to win three games in a row when Noel came back from injury. Duhon will surely keep tweaking the rotation until he finds a better combination. As for the trade market, knowing the organization it would be rare to see a trade happening any time soon. Teams keep on calling asking about Maker, but he is not going to be moved. If something happens, it will at the trade deadline, not earlier, and the most likely candidates could be Dewayne Dedmon and Bo Barnes, and to a lesser extent James McAdoo. While some may be surprised that the Bucks have not moved a solid defender like McAdoo who barely plays in Milwaukee, the answer is clear: his contract runs out when the Bucks need to sign Maker to a new contract. In other words, keeping McAdoo guarantees financial flexibility for Maker to stay with the team regardless of his demands.mgtr81 wrote:We fully support what Chris is doing with the team. While it is true that we were expecting better results, we were also conscious that the team was young with several new players, and that it may take longer than expected. We are patient as we know we are going in the right direction. We took a decision three years ago, we set up a plan and we are following that path. The results will eventually come.
Will we see the Bucks improve this season? That is certainly what the fans want.
