It’s no secret that this is Giannis Antetokounmpo’s year, even if we’re only five games into the season. So far, most of the analysis out there regarding the Bucks has focused on Giannis (rightfully so), and even here at Bucks Wire you’ll read plenty of words about Giannis in the days, weeks, months, and even years to come. As for today, though, I want to talk about another big reason for Milwaukee’s early success: Tony Snell.
At first glance, Snell is having a pretty solid season so far, averaging 11 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal, which is a pretty good statline on its own considering he’s probably about the 4th offensive option out there most of the time.
The way he’s doing it, though, is incredibly efficient, and he’s near the top of the NBA leaderboards in a Giannis-like number of stats. Specifically, he’s 4th in the NBA in true shooting percentage (76%) and effective field goal percentage (74%), 5th in two-point field goal percentage (71%), 6th in offensive rating (134,5), 15th in field goal percentage (59%), tied for 17th in three-point field goal percentage (50%), and 18th in offensive box plus/minus with 4.8. Just to round it off, he’s also shooting 100% from the charity stripe, though since that’s just on one attempt he doesn’t quite qualify as a league leader.
In other words, while he’s scoring a modest number of points, he’s doing so at an outstandingly efficient clip which helps open up the Bucks offense. Consider the fact that Snell, Ryan Anderson, and Marcus Smart all average 11 points a game on four made field goals. Snell does it in 7 attempts, while Anderson does it in 10 and Smart does it in 13. That kind of efficiency is what makes Snell exactly the type of supporting player that a generational talent like Giannis Antetokounmpo deserves to be paired with.
Anyways, since the Bucks appear to still be interested in Eric Bledsoe, they’ll have to make some tough decisions to actually acquire him. While he could obviously be a great contributor on the Bucks, I hope they don’t trade away Tony Snell in the process. Not only was he a great straight-up trade for Michael Carter-Williams (especially considering the efficiency numbers we were just talking about), but he’s in the upper tier of NBA starters.