FanPost

Intriguing Lineup

Now that its about 2 months after free agency and most-likely there won’t be any major moves in trades, it seems like this current roster will be opening up at against the Knicks on October 28th. As the anticipation grows until the date, it is easy to daydream of how the new pieces will fit in. John Hammond has recently mentioned the idea of going small ball which really excites me and has got me thinking of some certain lineups the backs could go "small" but present a ton of length.

Backcourt- A good way to start out this small ball lineup is to look at the backcourt and the size it presents. MCW can make huge strides this year by getting a full offseason working under coach Kidd and his jump shot. While it is very important that MCW becomes a consistant shooter, it is even more important that he becomes a team leader, playmaker, and someone who consistently makes his teammates better. Jason Kidd was a good shooter but what made him so special was the fact he always made the four guys around him better.

Alongside MCW in the backcourt I am really eager to see Greivis Vasquez play in a 2-point guard lineup. At 6’6", Vasquez possesses similar height and length as MCW. These two with their playmaking ability, ball handling and passing skills will be fun to watch under Jason Kidd. Remember, Vasquez isn’t a guy we got for a second round pick that we’d probably never end up never getting. We gave up the Clippers first round pick and our second round pick last year to acquire him. That trade got some criticism from a lot of Bucks fans. The way I see it is that Jason Kidd sees something in Vasquez’s game that fits Kidd’s coaching style.

Small Forward- With MCW and Vasquez at the 2 guard spots, I would like to see Khris Middleton at the 3. The bucks are pretty interchangeable at every position and can use multiple guys at the 3 spot. Because the Bucks are so young, and "Money" Middleton just got a fat paycheck, we almost forget that he still has a ton of potential and growing to do. On the wing he brings so much on both ends of the floor. He is arguably the best outside shooter on the team, hitting 40.7 percent of his threes last season and on defense he is a great team defender. With his size and length he fits in nicely with what Jason Kidd wants to do on defense.

Frontcourt- I would like to see Giannis play a lot of the 4 at 6’11". The Greek freak is no baby-faced rookie anymore (okay maybe he still has a baby face). But you can tell he has been training extremely hard to put on some muscle. Now, in a small ball lineup it is almost essential that there needs to be a stretch forward right? Well, Giannis has proven that he can ISO on the wing and from what I’ve seen in his Euro-league games he has extended his shooting range with more confidence.

Pairing Greg Monroe at the center position with Giannis will be fun to watch this year. Along-side Andre Drummond in Detroit, Monroe didn’t have the type of opportunity to put up the type of number he has with the Bucks. Jason Kidd loves running a lot of his sets through the elbow with his center. We saw a lot of Zaza Pachulia passing from that position last year. Now I’m not saying Zaza isn’t a good passer, but Monroe is a much bigger threat from that position where he will be able to operate with a lot of space.

So what I have listed is,

PG- Michael Carter-Williams

SG- Greivis Vasquez

SF- Khris Middleton

PF- Giannis Antetokounpo

C- Greg Monroe

Comment on your thoughts and what lineups you are most excited to see for the Bucks.

NOTE: By leaving Jabari Parker out of this lineup I’m not saying he shouldn’t be in the starting 5. I actually think once he is fully healed and recovered he will be the best player on the team. I am just very intrigued to see what this lineup can do next year.



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