Breaking Down Milwaukee Bucks' Center Position for 2014-15
The Milwaukee Bucks have a dilemma at the center position, but it's certainly not one with a ton of complexity.
In fact, whether or not the team experiences success in the middle rests, for the most part, squarely on the shoulders of one man: Larry Sanders.
After a breakout 2012-13 season in which he emerged as one of the game's best interior defenders, Sanders received a four-year, $44 million contract extension but did very little to prove being worth anywhere near that amount.
Unfortunately for the Bucks, 2013-14 was a mess for the big man, and the position as a whole is in a bit of disarray.
A Year to Forget
The lack of production the Bucks received at center in 2013-14 was staggering.
Sanders appeared in just 23 games and averaged an underwhelming 7.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks while shooting a paltry 46.9 percent from the floor.
And it wasn't just his play that was difficult to watch.
The 25-year-old showed clear signs of immaturity by—as Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel first reported—getting into a bar brawl and injuring his thumb in the process.
Mix in a shouting match with former shooting guard Gary Neal, and it wasn't exactly the year most people were expecting the big man to deliver.
Veteran Zaza Pachulia was expected to back Sanders up when the year began but saw himself thrust into the starter's role in a hurry.
The 30-year-old did his best to provide the Bucks with an enforcer in the paint and, to be fair, didn't do a terrible job of doing so. In 53 games, Pachulia averaged 7.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists, though he did shoot just 42.7 percent.
Outside of Sanders and Pachulia, sporadic appearances from Ekpe Udoh and Miroslav Raduljica are hardly enough to note.
John Henson, while not a prototypical center, gave Milwaukee its best production at the 5 a year ago but is unlikely to see many minutes there again this season.
But despite the concerning 2013-14, all hope is not lost.
While there are plenty of "ifs" to throw around, the potential for center to be a strong spot still remains.
A Familiar Landscape
While change was occurring elsewhere around the organization, the roster remained largely the same at center.
Sanders and Pachulia both return and will likely soak up most of the minutes, with the possibility of Henson and rookie Johnny O'Bryant seeing sporadic time at the 5 when the Bucks decide to go with a smaller lineup.
Truthfully, though, not much has changed over the summer.
Despite all of his issues, Sanders is certainly going to be given the opportunity to bounce back, if for no other reason than the aforementioned numbers appended to his contract.
And despite what last season did to his image, he deserves that opportunity regardless.
Sanders can change the momentum of games on a dime with his ability to send back anything that's put up around the rim.
Not only that, but the Bucks don't have many other options.
Henson is more naturally suited to play the 4, Pachulia will never improve beyond where he already is and O'Bryant is probably a few years away from making any kind of noise—not to mention he's only 6'9".
According to Gery Woelfel of the Journal Times, the Bucks discussed potentially acquiring Roy Hibbert from the Indiana Pacers at one point, but nothing ever came of that.
Outside of the draft, that was the closest Milwaukee came to acquiring another big man.
But with things looking so similar to a season ago, how will the Bucks fare in 2014-15?
No Secret to Success
It's hard to look at center as a weak position for the Bucks.
Despite all of the troubles Sanders had a year ago, he's still a supremely talented individual whose defensive presence can swing momentum in a flash.
Yet it's hard to pinpoint which Sanders we'll see in 2014-15.
Is it reasonable to assume 2012-13 was an anomaly? Probably.
And that's the difficulty in trying to predict how the Bucks will fair at center this season.
It wouldn't be surprising if Sanders returned to his form from a few years ago, or even continued to grow on both ends of the floor. But it also wouldn't be surprising if his attitude hadn't changed and he put together another lackluster effort.
Given the lack of depth the team already has at the position, they can't afford for Sanders to do the latter.
If the Bucks want to move forward with this young core, the big man will need to be one of the driving forces of that movement.
Which is why he should, and almost certainly will, get the bulk of minutes at center.
Assuming Sanders can stay out of foul trouble and return to 2012-13 form, allowing Pachulia to serve his true purpose of being a solid backup, the Bucks will have a decent rotation at the 5.
Fans should be optimistic, but not overly so.
And while the added presence of Jabari Parker will certainly help the team offensively, Sanders cannot remain inept in the post.
Ultimately, there's no secret plan for the Bucks at center this year and there's certainly no reason to suspect it'll stray from the course it has been on.
Sanders will be given every opportunity to prove he can be the franchise center and, if it's another rough year, management will reevaluate when it's over.
There doesn't seem to be much middle ground here. Look for it to be a bounce-back season for the position or yet another step in the wrong direction.
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