Young Bucks Tracker: Middleton's return the key

By Ryan Lund
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 18th 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: 35.4 minutes, 23.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.7 steals, 1.9 blocks, 52.4 FG%, 28.0 3PT%.

Statistical averages, last week: 35.3 minutes, 22.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.3 steals, 2.0 blocks, 47.9 FG%, 40.0 3PT%.

Advanced stats, season: 26.3 PER, 60.3 percent TS%, 28.1 percent USG%, 117 ORtg, 104 DRtg, 6.1 VORP.

Notable: Apart from a tough outing against the Golden State Warriors (he was a minus-25 and scored just nine points) it was another productive week for Antetokounmpo. He dropped 32 points and 13 rebounds on the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday, his first double-double since -- oddly enough -- another 32/13 game against the New York Knicks on March 8.



MALCOLM BROGDON (Age 24, first season)

Statistical season averages: 26.2 minutes, 10.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.1 blocks, 45.1 FG%, 40.6 3PT%.

Statistical averages, last week: 31.8 minutes, 11.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.3 blocks, 50.0 FG%, 25.0 3PT%.

Advanced stats, season: 14.4 PER, 55.3 percent TS%, 18.3 percent USG%, 111 ORtg, 111 DRtg, 0.6 VORP.

Notable: Brogdon held steady at an even 10 points per game -- the magical number that should at least put him in contention for Rookie of the Year -- salvaging a down week with a solid outing against the Warriors. Brogdon scored 18, while adding four rebounds and three assists.

 

THON MAKER (Age 20, first season)

Statistical season averages: 8.2 minutes, 3.4 points, 1.7 rebounds, 0.3 assists, 0.2 steals, 0.4 blocks, 42.3 FG%, 38.3 3PT%.

Statistical averages, last week: 7.1 minutes, 2.3 points, 1.0 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 0.0 steals, 0.5 blocks, 37.5 FG%, 40.0 3PT%.

Advanced stats, season: 13.5 PER, 53.8 percent TS%, 18.4 percent USG%, 112 ORtg, 109 DRtg, 0.0 VORP.

Notable: Maker got a little extra playing time in the Bucks' loss to the Warriors, registering nine points, five rebounds, a block and an assist in just under 13 minutes of action. The block was a thing of beauty, as Maker swatted away Steph Curry's layup with authority.

 

KHRIS MIDDLETON (Age 25, fifth season)

Statistical season averages: 28.8 minutes, 15.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.3 blocks, 49.3 FG%, 48.3 3PT%.

Statistical averages, last week: 34.2 minutes, 14.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.3 blocks, 41.0 FG%, 37.5 3PT%.

Advanced stats: 17.9 PER, 62.0 percent TS%, 23.2 percent USG%, 113 ORtg, 109 DRtg, 0.3 VORP.

Notable: Middleton had his best game since the injury in the Bucks' win over the L.A. Lakers. He scored 30 points while going 11-for-18 from the floor. He followed it up with another big night in the Bucks' win over Portland, going 11-for-22 for 26 points. His return to the starting lineup has been a boon for the Bucks, who are now 11-2 this season when Middleton starts.

 

TONY SNELL (Age 25, fourth season)

Statistical season averages: 29.0 minutes, 8.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.2 blocks, 45.6 FG%, 40.4 3PT%.

Statistical averages, last week: 30.1 minutes, 7.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.3 steals, 0.0 blocks, 45.8 FG%, 35.7 3PT%.

Advanced stats: 9.7 PER, 60.5 percent TS%, 11.9 percent USG%, 115 ORtg, 113 DRtg, 0.6 VORP.

Notable: It wasn't a particularly strong week for Snell, who scored in double-figures twice but wasn't much of a factor in the Portland game or the Sacramento game. He had 12 points and shot 5-for-8 against Golden State.

 

RASHAD VAUGHN (Age 20, second season)

Statistical season averages: 10.9 minutes, 3.3 points, 1.3 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.4 steals, 0.3 blocks, 36.4 FG%, 32.4 3PT%.

Statistical averages, last week: 7.2 minutes, 4.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 0.0 steals, 1.0 blocks, 42.9 FG%, 40.0 3PT%.

Advanced stats, season: 7.9 PER, 45.5 percent TS%, 16.0 percent USG%, 91 ORtg, 110 DRtg, -0.3 VORP.

Notable: Brogdon is back, so Vaughn is back to playing negligible minutes. He sat for the Lakers game and the Portland game, and played 12 minutes against the Warriors. He made two 3-pointers.

 

Out for the season: Jabari Parker.

 

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.