Grading Milwaukee Bucks' Final 15-Man Roster

With a new coach, new management and several new additions to the roster, the 2014-15 Milwaukee Bucks are hoping to put the worst season in franchise history behind them once and for all.

And while preseason performances are written in pencil and not ink, it paints enough of a picture to hand out some grades for those players on the final 15-man roster.

Will the Greek Freak's superb athleticism be enough to earn him a starting spot? How will Larry Sanders' tumultuous 2013-14 impact his grade? And what does Jabari Parker's preseason showing mean for his overall outlook?

The Bucks have a young roster, and with each passing game, this collection of youngsters should improve upon their current state.

If that ends up being the case, these Bucks are going to be fun to watch.

All that's left to do is take a look at how the team stacks up at each position.

Point Guard

Morry Gash/Associated Press

Brandon Knight and Nate Wolters held down the point guard position a year ago, and surprisingly, the duo didn't turn in a bad performance.

Knight averaged a team-high 17.9 points and 4.9 assists, putting together his best season as a professional. In Milwaukee's opener on Wednesday night, the 22-year-old picked up right where he left off, scoring 22 points, notching 13 assists and hauling in eight rebounds.

Those are impressive numbers, and despite going just 5-of-17 from the field, Knight showed his assertiveness by getting to the foul line 10 times, converting all of his attempts there.

Wolters, who had a successful rookie season with 7.2 points, 3.2 assists and just 1.0 turnovers per game, proved to be a solid backup, but the acquisition of Kendall Marshall leaves his future up in the air.

Neither Marshall nor Wolters saw action on opening night, but both should see their fair share of minutes in 2014-15, especially Marshall.

Jerryd Bayless logged some minutes at the point during the opener but is more of a combo guard and doesn't factor into things much as far as grading the position goes.

Overall, the Bucks have plenty of solid depth at point guard and a good mix of scoring with Knight and distribution with the likes of Marshall and, to a lesser extent, Wolters.

Grade: B

Shooting Guard

John Minchillo/Associated Press

Shooting guard is, without a doubt, the biggest question mark for the Bucks heading into the season.

O.J. Mayo is the only true 2-guard on the roster. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton are both capable of sliding to the position in a pinch, but for the long term, they aren't ideal shooting guards.

Offseason acquisition Jared Dudley started at shooting guard during the opener against the Charlotte Hornets, and while he's not a bad spot-up shooter, he isn't a reliable, consistent scoring threat.

The aforementioned Bayless will see some minutes at the 2 off the bench, but when it comes down to the bulk of the minutes, Mayo and Dudley will probably see most of them.

Mayo built on his preseason success on opening night by scoring 17 points in 24 minutes of playing time, knocking down 60 percent of his field-goal attempts.

If the former third overall pick can rebound after struggling a season ago, the Bucks will have a legitimate option at shooting guard and won't feel the need to experiment with a plethora of different options.

For now, though, the position is a work in progress.

Grade: C

Small Forward

John Minchillo/Associated Press

Jabari Parker can play power forward. So can Antetokounmpo.

However, both players fit most naturally at small forward, and that means the Bucks have a lot of talent at the 3—and some decisions to make in terms of the lineup.

Despite scoring just eight points in his first NBA game, Parker is the team's best and most versatile player offensively and will see the bulk of his minutes at small forward, especially if John Henson and Ersan Ilyasova play well at the 4.

And while Parker is the team's best offensive option at the position, Antetokounmpo provides the team with added length and great defense.

Middleton is a natural fit at the small forward, but given the logjam, he might be relegated to playing power forward or shooting guard in order to feature in the rotation consistently.

With three good options, it's hard to see where rookie Damien Inglis will fit in when he gets healthy.

Regardless, the Bucks are talented at small forward. Now, it's just a matter of making sure those players get ample playing time at the position that best suits their game.

Grade: A-

Power Forward

JEFFREY PHELPS/Associated Press

For the Bucks, both forward positions are somewhat interchangeable.

As previously indicated, Parker, Antetokounmpo and Middleton will likely log minutes at power forward at some point during the 2014-15 season.

But where will that leave the team's natural power forwards, Ersan Ilyasova and John Henson?

Ilyasova had a rough 2013-14 season but provides the team with a versatile scoring threat. Meanwhile, Henson emerged as a legitimate shot-blocking threat last year.

In fact, heading into the regular season, I thought Henson would get most of the minutes at the 4. However, in the first game, he logged just 12 minutes, scoring five points and swatting two shots.

Meanwhile, Ilyasova also only saw 12 minutes of playing time but connected on all three of his field-goal attempts, scoring six points.

A combination of Henson and Larry Sanders would provide the Bucks with their best frontcourt duo from a defensive standpoint—something which may be necessary on a team that doesn't have a ton of great perimeter defenders.

However, at least for one night, it seemed as though coach Jason Kidd preferred the offense of Middleton and Parker over the added length of Henson.

Grade: B-

Center

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

How Larry Sanders bounces back at center will have a major impact on how successful the Bucks are this season.

The 6'11" big man had a breakout season in 2012-13, and big things were expected from him last year. However, injuries and off-court issues marred any hopes of improving on the 9.8 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocks he averaged two years ago.

Still, Sanders looked solid in Wednesday's opener, scoring 10 points on 62.5 percent shooting and grabbing five rebounds for good measure.

Those numbers will need to improve—especially the rebounds—but it was good to see Sanders reassert himself.

Veteran Zaza Pachulia gives the team a player who isn't afraid to mix things up in the paint, and Henson may end up playing center at times throughout the season as well.

Overall, it's a position that isn't extremely deep, and outside of Sanders and occasionally Henson, there isn't a ton of talent off the bench.

Much of the position's success in 2014-15 falls solely on the shoulders of Sanders, and that's a big burden. If he can perform, though, there won't be a need to worry.

Grade: C+