Steve Novak Re-Signs with Bucks: Latest Contract Details, Comments, Reaction

The Milwaukee Bucks announced they re-signed forward Steve Novak on Monday after he played in three games for them during the 2015-16 season:  

According to the Bucks’ official website, it is team policy not to release the terms of the contract.

Eddie Scarito of Hoops Rumors noted “with Milwaukee over the cap, it is likely for the veteran’s minimum. The team does still possess its room exception worth $2,898,000, but it would be surprising if it was used in this case.”

The Bucks signed Novak in February, although an MCL injury limited his ability to contribute. He played in three games at 6.7 minutes per night after he appeared in seven contests earlier in the season for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Novak is best known for his ability to knock down three-pointers. He has been in the league since 2006 and is a career 43.1 percent shooter from downtown. The Marquette product hit 46.7 percent of his threes in 10 games in 2015-16 and is not far removed from leading the league at 47.2 percent while playing for the New York Knicks in 2011-12.

The Bucks can use that type of shooting after a lackluster performance from beyond the arc in 2015-16. They finished a disappointing 21st in the league in three-point percentage (34.5) and dead last in made threes per game (5.4).

Novak boasts fairly pedestrian numbers outside of his shooting prowess, but Milwaukee will not rely on him as a go-to scorer:

Season	Team	Games	Points	Rebounds	Assists	Three-Point Percentage
2006-07	Houston Rockets	35	1.5	0.7	0.2	33.3
2007-08	Houston Rockets	35	3.9	1.0	0.2	47.9
2008-09	Los Angeles Clippers	71	6.9	1.8	0.6	41.6
2009-10	Los Angeles Clippers	54	2.1	0.6	0.1	31.0
2010-11	Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs	30	3.5	0.9	0.1	56.5
2011-12	New York Knicks	54	8.8	1.9	0.2	47.2
2012-13	New York Knicks	81	6.6	1.9	0.4	42.5
2013-14	Toronto Raptors	54	3.3	1.1	0.2	42.6
2014-15	Utah Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder	35	1.8	0.6	0.3	39.6
2015-16	Oklahoma City Thunder and Milwaukee Bucks	10	2.4	0.5	0.0	46.7

Look for the 33-year-old to provide veteran leadership alongside Jason Terry for a team that figures to depend on a handful of young playmakers. Giannis Antetokounmpo (21 years old), Jabari Parker (21), Greg Monroe (26), Khris Middleton (25) and Michael Carter-Williams (24) are all key contributors in the rotation and have little playoff experience. 

What’s more, Novak can take advantage of openings from beyond the three-point line when opposing defenses collapse on Antetokounmpo and Parker.

While the Bucks have primarily a young core, the additions of Novak, Terry and Matthew Dellavedova will help them in their push toward the postseason after missing the playoffs in 2015-16.