Breaking Down Milwaukee Bucks' Small Forward Position for 2014-15 Season
While there are certainly positional debates to be had elsewhere on the roster, the scenario at small forward for the Milwaukee Bucks—given the logjam and abundance of talent—provides an intriguing one for the 2014-15 season.
Rookie Jabari Parker and second-year phenom Giannis Antetokounmpo are arguably the team's two biggest talents, and both are most-suited to play the 3.
Meanwhile, Khris Middleton is coming off a solid 2013-14 year that saw him provide the Bucks with efficient, much-needed scoring. Add Damien Inglis—who was drafted in the second round this summer—and recently acquired Jared Dudley to the mix, and it's hard to picture enough minutes being divvied up among these players.
So, where does that leave things? In order to begin to understand, one must first look at last season.
Looking Back
In 2013-14, small forward was one of the team's glaring weaknesses, even as Antetokounmpo began to emerge as a star in the making.
Caron Butler and Carlos Delfino were slated to log the bulk of minutes, but that didn't exactly pan out.
Butler appeared in just 34 games before having his contract bought out and a foot injury kept Delfino out all season.
With Antetokounmpo and Middleton as the only remaining options, experience at small forward was sparse, to say the least.
That being said, Middleton turned out to be one of the Bucks' most consistent players on offense, averaging 12.1 points on 44.0 percent shooting from the floor and an impressive 41.4 percent from three-point range.
Meanwhile, Antetokounmpo was not overly impressive from a numbers standpoint but turned some heads around the league with his length, defense and athleticism.
However, it was far from a position of strength.
The inexperience of Antetokounmpo was visible from time to time—shaky ball-handling, errant passes—and Middleton suffered through a terrible month of January.
But even though the young duo put together a solid stretch, small forward was not one of the better positions for the Bucks a season ago.
As the offseason has shown, things at the 3 are beginning to look better, though.
A Summer of Change
Dating back to last season, Antetokounmpo's growth was becoming more and more visible. While not crystal clear, it wasn't hard to envision the young Greek as the team's small forward of the future.
Despite having the league's worst record, the Bucks missed out on the draft's top pick in June and didn't have to make the difficult decision of choosing between Parker and Andrew Wiggins.
Instead, the Duke standout fell into Milwaukee's lap, thus starting an interesting dynamic at the position.
Having Parker and Antetokounmpo on the same roster meant one of them would certainly have to play out of position.
Parker is capable of playing power forward but is much more suited to small forward.
And, truthfully, the same thing could be said about Antetokounmpo.
In addition to the youngsters, Middleton—who's no veteran himself—returns in hopes of remaining an asset off the bench.
The Bucks also recently acquired Jared Dudley in a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers, adding a veteran presence among a trio of young small forwards.
Antetokounmpo is clearly the most versatile of the bunch and could be slotted at either forward position, shooting guard and, as head coach Jason Kidd experimented with this summer, point guard.
In Parker's case, he'll be moving up to the 4 often throughout the season, especially in order to take advantage of bigger, slower power forwards on the perimeter.
Middleton and Dudley, while not limited, will probably play the majority of their minutes at small forward without much movement up or down in the lineup.
Regardless, the Bucks made a concerted effort to strengthen the 3 over the summer.
And this doesn't even factor in Damien Inglis, who may or may not see much playing time in 2014-15.
Looking Ahead
With a multitude of players capable of playing small forward, expect the Bucks to use a lot of non-traditional lineups this season.
Dudley and Middleton will both see plenty of minutes off the bench, and it wouldn't be surprising to see either of them on the court with both Parker and Antetokounmpo at the same time.
Truthfully, the Bucks are fortunate to have these options.
Middleton is quick and long enough that he can play some shooting guard should the situation call for it, and with O.J. Mayo struggling a season ago, that might be a plausible scenario.
The development of John Henson will impact how the aforementioned players are utilized, as well.
If Henson continues to make strides and can become an effective two-way player, he just might solidify himself as the team's power forward of the future.
If that occurs, Parker would slide back to small forward.
And while Antetokounmpo is still very raw, it's hard to imagine Kidd relegating the Greek Freak to the bench.
That leaves one realistic—sorry, all you "Magic Giannison" hopefuls—possibility: Antetokounmpo playing shooting guard.
It's hard to imagine someone who shot just 41.4 percent from the floor in 2013-14 starting at the 2, but it might be the best option, especially after his showing at the Las Vegas Summer League.
In four games, Antetokounmpo averaged 17.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists while shooting a very good 46.2 percent from the floor and a respectable 37.5 percent from three-point territory.
As you can see from the video above, he was able to score in a variety of ways, which was lacking from his game during his rookie year.
It all boils down to the Bucks being supremely talented at the wing.
What was a weak spot for the team a season ago has turned into an exciting one with a mix of veteran leadership and raw, youthful potential.
2014-15 will certainly be fun to watch.
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