The Bucks didn’t get any huge names this offseason, but they got what they needed.
The 2023-24 season was a lost season for the Milwaukee Bucks. Between coaching changes, injuries to their star players, and inconsistent play, Milwaukee could never find its footing. Hopefully, a full offseason with Damian Lillard and head coach Doc Rivers in tow can help the Bucks gain the consistency they were sorely lacking next season. That should help, along with the additions they’ve made during the offseason. One of those acquisitions was signing Delon Wright to the minimum, which may end up being the best move the Bucks make in 2024 NBA free agency.
Delon Wright gives Bucks much-needed defense
Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul Reed (44) controls a loose ball against Miami Heat guard Delon Wright (4) during the second quarter of a play-in game of the 2024 NBA playoffs at Wells Fargo Center.
Delon Wright may end up starting for the Bucks next season, and if he does, it will be because of his defense. Milwaukee was nowhere near as stout defensively last year as they were in previous years. There was bound to be some slippage after trading an All-NBA caliber defender in Jrue Holiday, but the drop last year was too much. They dropped all the way to 19th in the league in defensive rating.
The Bucks were a little better on that end of the floor after acquiring Patrick Beverley at the trade deadline, but they were still outside the top ten. Milwaukee had limitations with Beverley and Lillard being undersized at the guard spots. That won’t be the case with Wright, who is an excellent defender. He is 6-foot-5 and 187 pounds and can defend bigger guards as well as wings.
Wright has graded-out as one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. He should immediately become an upgrade over the likes of Pat Connaughton and AJ Green there. He also has more experience than the young players the Bucks have drafted over the years, including MarJon Beauchamp and Andre Jackson Jr. It shouldn’t be that hard for Wright to get on the floor.
Wright brings 3-and-D
What also helps Wright’s case for playing time is the improvement he’s shown as a shooter. That part of his game was a question mark for a while but it isn’t anymore. He has shot at least 36.8% from distance in every season but one since the 2019-20 campaign. The volume isn’t robust (he only shoots 1.9 attempts per game) but he at least makes the ones he takes.
His improvement there was on full display in the Heat’s playoff series against the Boston Celtics. He shot 5-5 from three in Game 1 of that series and ended it shooting 60% from three.
It’s one thing to be able to get on the floor with prowess defensively, but it’s another to stay on it in a playoff series. Wright being a solid shooter should allow him to do just that. He has proven that over the last half-decade. The Bucks are not only short on two-way players but don’t have many paths to acquiring that archetype with them being in the second apron. But Wright should be one for them next season.
A lot of veteran minimum contracts don’t pan out. In fact, more bust more frequently than those that hit. But Wright could be an exception. He is exactly the type of player the Bucks need next to their stars, especially Lillard. To get him on a minimum contract is a home run. He won’t be the most glamorous addition of the offseason, but that doesn’t mean that he won’t be able to contribute. Signing Wright in free agency was a great move by the Bucks.
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