It’s evident who the top dogs are for the Milwaukee Bucks, but which member of this loaded roster deserves the rightful title of the third-best player?
Based on the trends of this past offseason, the era of Big Threes has been downsized. Most contending teams, including the Milwaukee Bucks, have bought into two key players as their leaders with a balanced group of auxiliary role players to pursue the coveted Larry O’Brien trophy. There’s no contending that the combination of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton are the go-to leaders of the league-leading 53-win Bucks.
While Giannis is on track to become the first back-to-back MVP since Stephen Curry in 2016, Middleton continues to sneakily slot in as an elite second-option for Milwaukee. For the second year in a row, Middleton was selected to the Eastern Conference All-Star reserves for his ravishing scoring, two-way effort and leadership.
However, no two players can uphold a successful team on their own. Head coach Mike Budenholzer has been very lucky to work with a talented group like this one. Eleven players logged at least 800 minutes for the Bucks this season, which has been a major reason for their sustained success.
Multiple key rotation players including Malcolm Brogdon and Nikola Mirotic departed from the team in the 2019 offseason. Despite that, the Bucks managed to improve en route to the league’s top record before the stoppage. This is due in large part to the increased production from key rotation players who’ve stepped into larger roles to fit in around their stars.
There are multiple candidates in consideration as the third-best player on this team.
Seven players on the team have a positive plus/minus differential per 100 possessions. Besides the two All-Stars, that list includes Donte DiVincenzo, Eric Bledsoe, Wesley Matthews, George Hill and Brook Lopez. These are the five players who we’re putting into the pool of potential candidates as the third-best Buck. Once we dive deeper, it becomes obvious who rises above the rest.
Milwaukee Bucks</a>, have bought into two key players as their leaders with a balanced group of auxiliary role players to pursue the coveted Larry O’Brien trophy. There’s no contending that the combination of <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/05/17/milwaukee-bucks-who-is-the-third-best-player-on-the-team-right-now/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/a/antetgi01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Giannis Antetokounmpo</a> and <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/05/17/milwaukee-bucks-who-is-the-third-best-player-on-the-team-right-now/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/middlkh01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Khris Middleton</a> are the go-to leaders of the league-leading 53-win Bucks.</p>
<p>While Giannis is on track to become the first back-to-back MVP since <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/05/17/milwaukee-bucks-who-is-the-third-best-player-on-the-team-right-now/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/curryst01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Stephen Curry</a> in 2016, Middleton continues to sneakily slot in as an elite second-option for Milwaukee. For the second year in a row, Middleton was selected to the Eastern Conference All-Star reserves for his ravishing scoring, two-way effort and leadership.</p>
<p>However, no two players can uphold a successful team on their own. Head coach Mike Budenholzer has been very lucky to work with a talented group like this one. Eleven players logged at least 800 minutes for the Bucks this season, which has been a major reason for their sustained success.</p>
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<p>Multiple key rotation players including <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/05/17/milwaukee-bucks-who-is-the-third-best-player-on-the-team-right-now/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/brogdma01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Malcolm Brogdon</a> and <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/05/17/milwaukee-bucks-who-is-the-third-best-player-on-the-team-right-now/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/mirotni01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Nikola Mirotic</a> departed from the team in the 2019 offseason. Despite that, the Bucks managed to improve en route to the league’s top record before the stoppage. This is due in large part to the increased production from key rotation players who’ve stepped into larger roles to fit in around their stars.</p>
<p>There are multiple candidates in consideration as the third-best player on this team.</p>
<p>Seven players on the team have a positive plus/minus differential per 100 possessions. Besides the two All-Stars, that list includes Donte DiVincenzo, Eric Bledsoe, Wesley Matthews, George Hill and Brook Lopez. These are the five players who we’re putting into the pool of potential candidates as the third-best Buck. Once we dive deeper, it becomes obvious who rises above the rest.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/05/17/milwaukee-bucks-who-is-the-third-best-player-on-the-team-right-now/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Second-Tier Candidates </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-398252" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/05/17/milwaukee-bucks-who-is-the-third-best-player-on-the-team-right-now/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2226,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1197162418.jpeg" alt="Milwaukee Bucks" width="3200" height="2226" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1197162418.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1197162418-768x534.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>Second-Tier Candidates</h3>
<p>We’ll touch on each of these players’ case as the third-best player on the team before coming to a final verdict. Each of these individuals has left a lasting impact on a team that remains one of the top favorites to win the 2020 championship. The ranking of these players is subjective, but certain cases remain stronger than others due to their output on the team.</p>
<p><strong>Donte DiVincenzo:</strong> A 23-year-old guard from Delaware, <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/05/17/milwaukee-bucks-who-is-the-third-best-player-on-the-team-right-now/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/divindo01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Donte DiVincenzo</a> has impressed with his high basketball IQ and drive to contribute off the bench. Milwaukee is 6.2 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor this season and he ranks sixth in steals per 36 minutes of players who played at least 1,000 minutes.</p>
<p>The Bucks are clearly onto something with DiVincenzo. He gives great effort on defensive rotations and has the makings of a fine shooter at the professional ranks. He posted an admirable 57.0 percent true shooting this season that ranks seventh on the team.</p>
<p>His efforts this year have been noteworthy, but he still has a long way to go before claiming the spot as the third-best player on the team. His growth has been overlooked by the masses, but the thought of the player he can be can’t overshadow the player that he is right now.</p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Wes clamps the King. <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/05/17/milwaukee-bucks-who-is-the-third-best-player-on-the-team-right-now/"https://t.co/haQpPn7Swt">pic.twitter.com/haQpPn7Swt
<p>— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/05/17/milwaukee-bucks-who-is-the-third-best-player-on-the-team-right-now/"https://twitter.com/Bucks/status/1236141425512730624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>March 7, 2020</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/05/17/milwaukee-bucks-who-is-the-third-best-player-on-the-team-right-now/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></div>
<p><strong>Wesley Matthews:</strong> When <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/05/17/milwaukee-bucks-who-is-the-third-best-player-on-the-team-right-now/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/matthwe02.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Wesley Matthews</a> tore his Achilles tendon in 2015, there was fear that it would signal the end of his career. Five years and more than $70 million later, Matthews is finally playing for an actual contender where he can contribute his 3-and D skillset in pursuit of a championship.</p>
<p>Though still an effective and reliable player in his own right, Matthews is shooting only 39.7 percent from the field this year, which is his lowest field goal percentage since the 2016-17 season. In his defense, 69.1 percent of his shots came from 3-point range this season. It’s difficult to maintain a high shooting percentage when that many of his shots are coming from a range where lower percentages are expected.</p>
<p>Of qualifying players, Matthews’ 97.8 defensive rating ranks second on the team just behind Giannis, making him one of the most valuable contributors on the best defensive team in the league. A tip of the cap goes to him for making his presence felt amongst a stacked group of players, but his average stat line on the season is 7.5 points, 2.6 boards and 1.5 assists per game. To take that third spot in the lineup, he’d need a much greater output each night.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/05/17/milwaukee-bucks-who-is-the-third-best-player-on-the-team-right-now/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Top-tier candidates </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-398251" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/05/17/milwaukee-bucks-who-is-the-third-best-player-on-the-team-right-now/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1210991797.jpeg" alt="Milwaukee Bucks" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1210991797.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1210991797-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>Top-tier Candidates</h3>
<p><strong>Brook Lopez: </strong>It’s very difficult to reinvent yourself in any profession, let alone in professional sports. That’s why it was outstanding to watch center <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/05/17/milwaukee-bucks-who-is-the-third-best-player-on-the-team-right-now/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/lopezbr01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Brook Lopez</a> transform into Splash Mountain in his 11th NBA season last year, launching triples from far beyond the 3-point line and draining them at a 36.5 percent clip.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, that’s not the same Brook that the Bucks got in year two of this experiment as his 57.1 percent true shooting plummeted down to 50.1 percent this season. Lopez is 13th in true shooting for the Bucks despite playing the third-most minutes (1,622) of anyone on the team.</p>
<p>If not for his phenomenal effort on the other end of the floor, Lopez might’ve been a candidate to get traded for a more desirable starting big man at the trade deadline in February.</p>
<p>NBA.com has Lopez listed as having the fifth-most defensive win shares of any player this season (9.3) for his efforts as an elite rim defender. He’s the second-best shot-blocker in the league, stuffing 2.4 shots per game. Lopez defends 16.8 shots per game, which is more than all but five players in the entire league. Even with that being the case, he holds his opposition to only 41.8 percent shooting from the field and just 44.1 percent within six feet from the basket.</p>
<p>Lopez remains an effective player within his lane and might’ve taken that third spot had his shooting efficiency remained halfway decent like it was last season.</p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Daily reminder: </p>
<p>George Hill leads the <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/05/17/milwaukee-bucks-who-is-the-third-best-player-on-the-team-right-now/"https://twitter.com/NBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>@NBA in 3PT% <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/05/17/milwaukee-bucks-who-is-the-third-best-player-on-the-team-right-now/"https://t.co/pBD2wPYkQo">pic.twitter.com/pBD2wPYkQo
<p>— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/05/17/milwaukee-bucks-who-is-the-third-best-player-on-the-team-right-now/"https://twitter.com/Bucks/status/1218694136955490304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>January 19, 2020</a></p></blockquote>
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<p><strong>George Hill: </strong>There’s an undeniable case for <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/05/17/milwaukee-bucks-who-is-the-third-best-player-on-the-team-right-now/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/hillge01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">George Hill</a> as the third-best player on the Bucks this year starting first and foremost with the fact that he’s the league-leader in 3-point percentage. From his rookie year in San Antonio up to last season when he arrived in Milwaukee, Hill was a fine shooter at 37.8 percent from deep.</p>
<p>Hill must’ve been a strict diet of Wheaties and Protein Powder this past offseason because he skyrocketed up to 48.0 percent on 152 attempts so far this season. His 3-point threat has been an astounding revelation for a player who many thought would fizzle out by this point in his career.</p>
<p>It’s not just the shooting that’s been shocking. Hill has also been one of the team’s most effective defenders, holding his matchup to 41.3 percent shooting from the field this year. He’s always been a fiery defender who gives his all on both ends of the floor, sacrificing his body and reading the opposition to rotate perfectly into place as much as his body will allow him.</p>
<p>From the moment Hill entered the league, he played like a savvy vet, so it shouldn’t be surprising that one of the best versions we’ve seen of Hill is when he’s just that. He leads all eligible guards in true shooting percentage (66.8 percent) and has a higher assist-to-turnover ratio than any other guard on the team at 3.08. He takes care of the ball at all costs, resulting in the third-most offensive win shares on the team with 3.2.</p>
<p>For as impressive as he’s been this season, Hill’s efficiency can’t overstep the player who he’s played backup to for the last season and a half.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/05/17/milwaukee-bucks-who-is-the-third-best-player-on-the-team-right-now/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Milwaukee's definitive third-best player </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-398250" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/05/17/milwaukee-bucks-who-is-the-third-best-player-on-the-team-right-now/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2286,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1183673023.jpeg" alt="Milwaukee Bucks" width="3200" height="2286" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1183673023.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1183673023-768x549.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">(Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>Eric Bledsoe is Milwaukee’s third-best player</h3>
<p>When the Bucks inked point guard <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/05/17/milwaukee-bucks-who-is-the-third-best-player-on-the-team-right-now/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/bledser01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Eric Bledsoe</a> to a four-year, $70 million extension in 2019, it was because they knew they had the leader who would lead their team back to the playoffs. He bought into the organization and they believed in him in a way that the Phoenix Suns and LA Clippers did not.</p>
<p>Their belief in Bledsoe has paid off nicely as the 30-year-old ball hound has proven himself as one of the most reliable defenders at his position while taking steps in his offensive game. Milwaukee is 3.9 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor because of his leadership, motor and high-octane style of play.</p>
<p>He remains highly effective near the rim, hitting 71.7 percent of his shots within three feet of the basket. Though he’s not quite as athletic as he once was, Bledsoe uses his stocky frame to absorb contact and finish in the paint at a rate higher than most of his teammates.</p>
<p>Where it gets especially interesting is from 3-to-10 feet, where he’s more efficient than all but four teammates including Giannis himself. Bledsoe does a nice job of hitting pull-up jumpers in or just outside of the paint with the floor spaced by his teammates.</p>
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<p>As a facilitator, Bledsoe has taken strides since playing under head coach Mike Budenholzer. He ranks in the 85th percentile of pick-and-roll ball-handlers with a 46.6 percent scoring frequency. Since he’s an excellent downhill scorer, Bledsoe uses his scoring threat to blow past his defender for a bucket or dish off to either his roll man or an open shooter. He has six teammates who hit at least 40 percent from 3-point range when he dishes to them.</p>
<p>While Giannis is the primary threat drawing defenders into the paint, Bledsoe sneakily forces their hand as well. He’s become adept at creating plays for others based on his own gravity when attacking the rim and he’s a better player because of it.</p>
<p>Bledsoe’s 18.1 Player Efficiency Rating (PER) ranks third on the team behind only Middleton and Antetokounmpo because of his dynamic two-way effort. When he’s not mucking up plays by getting into ball handler’s airspace, Bledsoe is interrupting passing lanes, battling through screens, or diving for loose balls.</p>
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<p>Heart and hustle can’t always be quantified by stats and Bledsoe is a great example of that. If not for his complete effort on both ends of the floor, Milwaukee might not be sitting pretty at the top of the NBA this season.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">