Am I the only one that thought Wesley Matthews was done, done? A year ago, the Mavericks considered him expendable and dumped him in the Kristaps Porzingis deal. Matthews finished his Knicks tenure shooting 21 percent. Yes, it was only two games but he looked bad all year. 38.6 percent with Indiana isn’t much better. Barely looked like he could get up and down the court at times. The 2019-2020 season has been totally different for Matthews. Wesley Matthews is enjoying a Renaissance season with Milwaukee.
The former Marquette product has been a very real contributor for the Bucks. In roughly 24 minutes of action, Matthews is averaging 7.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists. That doesn’t sound like much but he also looked done, done last year. Those Achilles injuries are a nightmare and Matthews never looked the same. That shouldn’t be the narrative.
Matthews has done exactly what he needs to do in Milwaukee. Space the floor and knock down the open 3’s when they come your way. Wesley Matthews has aced that test. 37.5 percent from beyond the arc is more than fine. So is an effective field goal percentage of 54.1. Both of those numbers are the highest of his career since 2014-2015 when he was with Portland.
The Bucks don’t need him to be a star. Matthews is playing his role perfectly. Something I was dubious of before the start of the season. His presence in Milwaukee is part of the reason why losing Malcolm Brogdon really hasn’t affected the Bucks to this point of the season. This has been a huge win for Milwaukee.
I’ve been trying to think about how the Bucks are so good. I think the doubters are looking at them in the wrong light. Giannis Antetokounmpo is worth 3 All-Stars. Is Khris Middleton better than team x’s 4th best player? I’m not sure how many teams can say they have a 4th best player better than Middleton. Like everybody on the Bucks, Giannis is the magic elixir. Wesley Matthews has made sure to fit right in.
