Would Add More Perimeter Shooting
The Bucks are a team stacked with length, athleticism and defensive prowess, but one thing that they’re not known for is their perimeter shooting. Looking back at the numbers for last season, only one consistent rotation player in Tony Snell was above 40% from three, and he barely cracks the mark at 40.3%. In fact, let’s look at the top eight Bucks from last season regarding their three-point shooting percentage (games played last season in parentheses):
- Mirza Teletovic – .467 (10)
- Tony Snell – .403 (75)
- DJ Wilson – .400 (22)
- Malcolm Brogdon – .385 (48)
- Jabari Parker – .383 (31)
- Shabazz Muhammad – .375 (11)
- Matthew Dellavedova – .372 (38)
- Rashad Vaughn – .371 (22)
Tony Snell was the only player in the Bucks top 8 three-point percentage players to play over 50 games last season. Looking at this list, Teletovic has since been medically waived by the Bucks with a lung issue, Jabari Parker, Shabazz Muhammad, and Rashad Vaughn are no longer with the team, Matthew Dellavedova could very well be part of the trade for Bazemore, and DJ Wilson has struggled mightily in general, his percentage is a product of a low volume of attempts.
The Bucks main rotation is not full of reliable outside shooters. Even the usually capable Khris Middleton shot 35.9%, while both Eric Bledsoe and Giannis Antetokounmpo were below 35%. The Bucks have taken steps to rectify this issue already, by re-signing longtime former Buck Ersan Ilyasova and sweet-shooting center Brook Lopez, but their wings still could use an infusion.
Bazemore was known more as a defender when he entered the NBA as an undrafted free agent back in 2012-13. Since then though, he has developed into a reliable three-point shooter, with a career mark of 36%, shooting a very nice .394 last season for the Hawks. He isn’t a low-volume guy either, though, with over 40% of his shots last season being attempted from behind the three-point line, trying 4.2 per game. Khris Middleton is the closest Buck to Bazemore regarding volume, and Bazemore is coming off a far more efficient season.
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