Brew Hoop Season Review: Jerryd Bayless, O.J. Mayo...and Greivis Vasquez

Welcome back, gang! For the newcomers, here is the overview of this entire exercise, and here is the first installment.

This time around, we move on to an illustrious group of veteran players, all of whom came into the season with the hopes of having a major impact on the team. All three of these guys suffered from various injuries and performance slumps, so it's fair to say it didn't totally work out. Or did it? Onward!

Jerryd Bayless

Statistical recap:

Synopsis:

Jerryd Bayless was a surprise last season, and any discussion of his year has to start with his three-point shooting. A career 36.5% shooter from deep, Bayless hit a career-best 43.7% this season, just the second time in his eight year career that he ecliposed 36% (he hit 42.3% in 2011-12 with Toronto). Bayless was particularly good spotting up, as he figured out a way to combine his relatively efficient shooting motion with outstanding verticality on his jumper. Seriously, few guards get as much air on their jump shots like Jerryd does.

In other parts of his game, Jerryd was less consistent. His defense wasn't steady, his free throw shooting actually fell off from last year, and an ankle injury kept him out of the lineup for a significant amount of time. Still, the great shooting and synergy he shows with the Bucks' core trio was a welcome development this season.

Brew Hoop Staff Grades:

Mitchell says: Who knew Bayless could shoot like that? Despite his historic pedestrian output, Jerryd shot the lights out this year and looks like a top-flight shooter from the combo guard position. People talk about how the Bucks need guards that can shoot. Here's one! Sure, it was a career high during a contract year, but I'm sure that he won't fall off a cliff if the Bucks bring him back.

Brett says: I think I'm an outlier on this, but it feels like in terms of one-on-one defense, Bayless gets blown past all the time. And I feel like a lot of times it doesn't even take a move to get past him. Am I crazy?

Frank says: Bayless' defense isn't as obviously bad as Jabari Parker's, but his lack of size and length manifest themselves in a clear inability to make plays. If you have the worst DRPM and DRTG on a bad defensive team then you're probably a bad defender, right?

Bonus discussion! How much would you offer Jerryd Bayless to stick around for another few years?

Eric B says: Somewhere in the neighborhood of $6 mil/year for two or three years seems fine to me. Bayless earned a bump in pay and a spot on the roster with his shooting and versatility, but I don’t think keeping him is going to require a deep dive into the team’s pockets, either. Maybe he is the starter alongside ball-handling Giannis, or maybe he’s a backcourt reserve with Ennis. Regardless of what role he takes, I think keeping Bayless makes the Bucks a better team.

O.J Mayo

Statistical recap:

Synopsis:

Uncle Juice had an up-and-down year last season, with more downs than ups. The high point of his campaign was probably the short-lived Point Juice experiment, which paired him with Middleton and Giannis in the backcourt, and gave us an early look at what a non-traditional-PG lineup looks like, where Giannis and Middleton were more prominently featured as playmakers. Mayo has always been an underrated defender and playmaker, and his handle was pretty good too.

But he just. Could. Not. Shoot. 37% from the field and 32% from deep is as bad of a shooting year as you can have, and injuries kept Mayo from ever finding his rhythm. The season then ended early for Mayo after he injured his leg at home.

Brew Hoop Staff Grades:

Eric N says: I am a card carrying member of the O.J. Mayo Assist Appreciation Society, but he was beyond awful in every way offensively this season. I still love his dumpoffs to Parker and Antetokounmpo in transition, but those dudes don't need those passes to get going anymore. They can score on their own in transition.

Last year, there would be a number of very good passes between his spectacular turnovers, but this year, the turnovers felt more common and demoralizing.

And the shooting. It was awful. 32% from three and 42% from the field. Not what the Bucks needed. I will fondly remember the 2014-15 version of Uncle Juice and have already forgotten this year's version of Mayo.

Eric N also says (under 'Improvement'): A 0 here represents him actively getting worse this season, which I thought he pretty clearly did. I know health was a problem, but he was so much worse than last season.

Greivis Vasquez

Statistical recap:

Synopsis:

Hoo, boy. It was not a great campaign for General Greivis. His shooting slump seemed to last the entire span of games played, and his defense was somehow worse than ever before (though presumably exacerbated by the foot injury that wrecked the majority of his season). On the plus side, Vasquez was a vocal member of the team in his street clothes, and did run a few transition possessions like a real point guard would.

A lot of people were mad when the Bucks traded the LAC 1st and a 2nd round pick for Vasquez. At the time, I thought it was a fine trade (albeit expensive) since Vasquez seemed like the kind of player who would be able to step in if MCW faltered. And I guess, in a way, that did happen. It just also happened that Vasquez's body made him falter harder.

Brew Hoop Staff Grades:

Well, it happened. Greivis' season was so bad that no one, literally no one, on the Brew Hoop staff, wanted to provide any commentary for their grades. Not even me!

This isn't to say that Vasquez is as bad as last season suggests. It may have been a perfect storm of a new team and system, a number of teammates that were all on different developmental tracks, and a lingering injury that required surgery to correct. And his better-than-bad score for Fit Going Forward suggests that he can still play a supporting role on this team. But man, did things not work out this year.

Unlike last time, this group of players doesn't particularly inspire excitement for the future. All three of them are free agents this summer, and it will be interesting to see where a career journeyman who shot 43% from deep, a former top-5 pick, and a former league assist leader will all land. Since Bayless is the only one who actually played well, the poll will focus on him and the possible contract he signs.

Disagree with any of our takes? Do you see a grade that just doesn't make sense to you? Leave it in the comments!