Young Bucks Tracker: Middleton enters, Parker exits

By Dave Heller
Published

With two-thirds of the roster born in 1990 or later, the Milwaukee Bucks are a young, growing team. Every Thursday for the rest of the season, FOX Sports Wisconsin will take a closer look at the players that are 25 years old and younger (for the most part, those still in their first four NBA seasons), measuring, highlighting and evaluating their progress.

This is the 13th edition of the 2016-17 Young Bucks Tracker.

(A glossary of the advanced statistics used for season totals, which are from basketball-reference.com. can be found at the end of this article)

GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO (Age 22, fourth season)

Statistical season averages: 35.2 minutes, 23.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.7 steals, 2.0 blocks, 52.9 FG%, 28.9 3PT%.

Statistical averages, last week: 35.0 minutes, 25.0 points, 9.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.3 steals, 2.3 blocks, 62.5 FG%, 33.3 3PT%.

Advanced stats, season: 26.6 PER, 60.6 percent TS%, 28.3 percent USG%, 117 ORtg, 104 DRtg, 4.6 VORP.

Notable: While his assists have gone down a bit recently, Antetokounmpo pretty much did everything else in three games last week. He scored at least 22 points in each game (including another 30-10-5 effort), made 30 of 48 field-goal attempts and had seven blocks.

 

MALCOLM BROGDON (Age 24, first season)

Statistical season averages: 25.6 minutes, 9.2 points, 2.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.1 blocks, 43.6 FG%, 41.9 3PT%.

Statistical averages, last week: 27.5 minutes, 8.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.7 steals, 0.7 blocks, 45.5 FG%, 25.0 3PT%.

Advanced stats, season: 13.6 PER, 53.3 percent TS%, 17.8 percent USG%, 108 ORtg, 111 DRtg, 0.2 VORP.

Notable: Brogdon had his best game -- as most Bucks players did -- in the big win at Phoenix, posting 13 points, eight assists and five rebounds. He played nearly 33 minutes against the Heat and has played the most minutes of anyone taken in the 2016 draft other than Brandon Ingram, who was the No. 2 overall pick (and even then Ingram has played only 222 more minutes and Brogdon has scored more points, 467 to 451).

 

THON MAKER (Age 19, first season)

Statistical season averages: 5.7 minutes, 2.9 points, 1.2 rebounds, 0.0 assists, 0.2 steals, 0.4 blocks, 54.2 FG%, 61.1 3PT%.

Statistical averages, last week: 3.8 minutes, 3.0 points, 0.0 rebounds, 0.0 assists, 0.0 steals, 0.5 blocks, 66.7 FG%, 100.0 3PT%.

Advanced stats, season: 19.2 PER, 66.4 percent TS%, 18.7 percent USG%, 125 ORtg, 107 DRtg, 0.0 VORP.

Notable: After seeing some extended playing time the previous week, Maker totaled just 7 1/2 minutes in playing two of Milwaukee's three games. When he gets playing time he continues to prove himself a 3-point threat. He nailed both of his attempts last week and is 11 of 18 on the season from downtown.

 

KHRIS MIDDLETON (Age 25, fifth season)

Statistical season averages: 15.0 minutes, 5.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.0 steals, 1.0 blocks, 40.0 FG%, 0.0 3PT%.

Advanced stats: 12.1 PER, 42.5 percent TS%, 17.6 percent USG%, 103 ORtg, 111 DRtg, 0.0 VORP.

Notable: Middleton played in his first game of the season -- well ahead of his expected schedule -- and as expected played limited minutes and looked a little rusty. How much the playing time will be ramped up in the coming weeks for Middleton will be something to keep an eye on.

 

JABARI PARKER (Age 21, third season)

Statistical season averages: 33.9 minutes, 20.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.4 blocks, 49.0 FG%, 36.5 3PT%.

Statistical averages, last week: 28.6 minutes, 19.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.7 blocks, 56.1 FG%, 22.2 3PT%.

Advanced stats: 19.0 PER, 56.3 percent TS%, 26.0 percent USG%, 111 ORtg, 111 DRtg, 1.0 VORP.

Notable: Parker was having a good week, posting 27 points, 11 rebounds and four assists at Denver and 18 points (on 7-of-10 shooting) and nine rebounds at Phoenix. And then this happened:

https://twitter.com/fswisconsin/status/829521853412626433

See you in 2018, Jabari. Sigh.

 

TONY SNELL (Age 25, fourth season)

Statistical season averages: 28.7 minutes, 8.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.2 blocks, 45.0 FG%, 38.7 3PT%.

Statistical averages, last week: 25.9 minutes, 5.3 points, 1.0 rebounds, 0.3 assists, 0.3 steals, 0.3 blocks, 31.3 FG%, 37.5 3PT%.

Advanced stats: 8.9 PER, 59.2 percent TS%, 11.5 percent USG%, 113 ORtg, 113 DRtg, 0.3 VORP.

Notable: After playing up Snell's hot shooting last week in this space, he of course had a rough last three games, making just 5 of 16 shots, including 3 of 8 3-point attempt. Snell has hit double digits in points just once in the last 13 games.

 

RASHAD VAUGHN (Age 20, second season)

Statistical season averages: 11.1 minutes, 3.9 points, 1.2 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.2 blocks, 36.5 FG%, 35.3 3PT%.

Advanced stats, season: 8.7 PER, 47.2 percent TS%, 17.7 percent USG%, 93 ORtg, 110 DRtg, -0.2 VORP.

Notable: Vaughn appeared in only one game last week, playing a tad under 4 minutes, missing his only shot while recording a rebound and an assist. With Middleton back and the addition of Roy Hibbert and Spencer Hawes, the inactive list might be in Vaughn's near-term future.

 

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

PER -- Player Efficiency Rating: A measure of per-minute production standardized such that the league average is 15.

TS% -- True Shooting Percentage: A measure of shooting efficiency that takes into account 2-point field goals, 3-point field goals, and free throws.

USG% -- Usage Percentage: An estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while he was on the floor.

ORtg -- Offensive Rating: An estimate of points produced per 100 possessions.

DRtg -- Defensive Rating: An estimate of points allowed per 100 possessions.

VORP -- Value over Replacement Player: A box score estimate of the points per 100 TEAM possessions that a player contributed above a replacement-level (-2.0) player, translated to an average team and prorated to an 82-game season.

Dave Heller is the author of the new book Ken Williams: A Slugger in Ruth's Shadow as well as Facing Ted Williams Players From the Golden Age of Baseball Recall the Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived and As Good As It Got: The 1944 St. Louis Browns