Three Bs: Tony Snell

Welcome to Brew Hoop’s entirely subjective and emotionally-driven 2017-18 Milwaukee Bucks season player evaluations. For this series, we wanted to look at each current Buck and ask three questions: what they do that helps (Boon), what they do that hurts (Bane), and whether they ought to be on this team (Belonging).

I had a cool logo featuring a trio of Bs, but got a “cease and desist” notice from a lawyer wearing $200 flip flops. Oh well. Today, we’re looking at Tony Snell, sprinting off the bench to pick us up when we fall.

Season Stats (per 36 minutes – rank at position)

• Points/36: 9.0 (95th among shooting guards)
• Steals/36: 0.8 (91st among shooting guards)
• 3PA/36: 4.7 (76th among shooting guards)
• 3Pt%: 0.403 (15th among shooting guards)

Snell’s Boon: Tailor-made Fit

On a team that needs spacing, perimeter defense, and a low-maintenance role-playing starter, Tony Snell might be the 3&D wing of your dreams. Fresh off of a multi-year contract extension, Snell repaid Bucks fans by continuing to shoot above 40% from deep while using a microscopic share of the team’s possessions (10.5%, second-lowest only to Jason Terry). He shoots threes when he’s open but otherwise stays out of the way, lurking behind the arc as a safety valve while Milwaukee’s more-accomplished creators go to work.

Snell’s Bane: Low Ceiling, Low Floor

Even the humblest of NBA floor-spacers would be a heralded, if underrated, member of any modern basketball team...so long as they’re spacing the floor. For Snell, his shooting slumps undermine fans’ leniency for his otherwise-limited game. When the shots stop falling (or in the case of this season, stop going up to begin with), people begin to ask why he’s on the floor at all. This is, and always will be, the bind that Tony Snell exists in; specifically talented in key areas, but a glaring weakness if it’s not his night.

Does Snell Belong?

With the number of high-volume playmakers on the Bucks’ roster, it’s critical that “minutes eaters” (h/t Eric Nehm from back in the day) help fill out the rotation, so that those with higher usage are spaced out and get to play their game unabated. Tony Snell is, and will be for the foreseeable future, a valuable minutes eater for Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton, and while his contract gets a bit more expensive year by year, he’s still a worthwhile guy to have around.