Things are going well for the Milwaukee Bucks this season. They're 13-5 so far and are third in the Eastern Conference with only the Boston Celtics having a better record. The Celtics are also the only team in the NBA with more wins than the Bucks at roughly the quarter mark of the NBA season.
But that's not to say that things couldn't be better for the Bucks. Milwaukee ranks 12th in the NBA in Net Rating. While that isn't bad per se, and while the Bucks have dealt with injuries to Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard early this season, that's not exactly where a team with championship aspirations wants to be.
The Bucks rank 21st in defensive rating so far this season, a far cry from the Bucks' fourth ranking in that department last season. A drop off defensively and a shift to an offensive-minded team was to be expected when they traded Jrue Holiday and all the extra stuff they parted with for Damian Lillard, but this steep of a drop defensively is fairly drastic.
However, they can get better. But to do so would require trusting some younger players with more minutes. One player, in particular, seems ready for that bump in playing time.
Why MarJon Beauchamp deserves more playing time for Bucks
It might not be farfetched to say that MarJon Beauchamp is already the best perimeter defender on the Bucks' roster. The eye test backs up the hypothesis. Beauchamp does a good job getting over screens and sticking with his man to prevent them from rising up for open pull-up jumpers.
With the Bucks playing just about exclusive drop coverage to keep Brook Lopez closer to the rim, it's a must for Milwaukee guards to be able to get over screens and bother, or even prevent, jump shots from opposing ballhandlers. Beauchamp is already excellent at that.
This clip is from over a year ago, but it perfectly captures the skill the Milwaukee needs from their perimeter defenders that they aren't getting at the moment. Damian Lillard has never been a great defender but he can't get taken off the floor. Milwaukee has entrusted either Khris Middleton or Malik Beasley to guard the opposing team's best players and… that hasn't worked out so well.
The Bucks' defensive rating of 104. with their staring lineup of Damian Lillard, Malik Beasley, Khris Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Brook Lopez has actually fared quite well. It has a net rating of +12.3 according to Cleaning the Glass.
The Bucks have also been better with Beasley on the floor around both Antetokounmpo and Lillard compared to when Beauchamp has been on the floor in place, but Beauchamp also hasn't had many opportunities next to those guys. Beasley has 583 possessions playing alongside Antetokounmpo and Lillard while Beauchamp sits as opposed to only 87 possessions the other way around.
The reticence to play Beauchamp, in part due to his youth and inexperience, is his offense. That's not the most refined part of his game, but he has improved there, especially as a shooter. Beauchamp is shooting 41.4% from three-point range; by far a career-high and a very good mark. Beauchamp is also shooting 48% on catch-and-shoot threes.
Among players with at least 1.5 such attempts and have played in at least ten games this season, that number ranks 20th in the NBA. He looks confident and fluid shooting those shots.
The Bucks need MarJon Beauchamp's defense. They've been fine for now playing Malik Beasley in his spot, but they won't be able to win the title giving up as many points as they're giving up right now. If Beauchamp is shooting like this from three to go with his defense, it will be hard to continue to play him for only 16 minutes a game. He needs to play more.
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