4 Exciting Lineups Milwaukee Bucks Should Use With Jae Crowder

It’s been forever and a day, but the Milwaukee Bucks finally traded for Jae Crowder.

The two sides have been linked since Crowder demanded a trade before the season began, and promised to sit out until one happened. Milwaukee didn’t cave in to the Phoenix Suns’ trade demands and held the line with their offer of spare parts.

In the end, it was a deal with the Brooklyn Nets that helped the trade come to fruition. The Suns acquired Kevin Durant in a late night trade on Wednesday, shipping Crowder to Brooklyn in the process. Milwaukee then scooped Crowder from the Nets on Thursday in a three-team deal with the Indiana Pacers. In the end, here’s how the deal looked:

• Bucks acquired Crowder
• Nets acquired two second-round picks (from the Bucks)
• Pacers received George Hill, Serge Ibaka, Jordan Nwora and three second-round picks (from the Bucks)

Crowder will have some rust to knock off after sitting out all season. When he does, Milwaukee will have a plethora of intriguing lineup options at their disposal. Here are four of the most exciting.

Small-Ball

Holiday, Allen, Connaughton, Crowder, Antetokounmpo

Giannis at center lineups outscore their opponents by 14.5 points per 100 possessions this season, one of the most lethal differences in the NBA. Head coach Mike Budenholzer uses a gluttony of alliances (54 combinations in 441 possessions, according to Cleaning the Glass) and finds success almost irregardless of who he throws out there with the two-time MVP at the 5.

Milwaukee will add more toughness by putting Crowder in the frontcourt alongside Antetokounmpo. He can battle bigger forwards and won’t back down from any challenge. Furthermore, he can help provide floor-spacing along with Jrue Holiday, Grayson Allen and Pat Connaughton.

Miniature

Holiday, Matthews, Middleton, Ingles, Crowder

I’ll do you one better: Crowder at the 5. This sounds absurd and isn’t something the Bucks should tinker with too heavily, but it would be exciting to see them run this unit out there.

Crowder has spent minimal time at the 5 over the past three years, with three percent of his minutes coming there in 2021-22 (Full disclosure: the Suns were outscored by 9.7 points per 100 possessions in this configuration).

With Portis likely out for a couple more weeks, this unit could help buy Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez some time on the bench. Right now, they’re sucking up all the big man minutes by themselves. It will be important to add all the toughness and size Milwaukee has to support Crowder at the 5—that’s where Joe Ingles, Khris Middleton, Wesley Matthews and Holiday come in.

Jumbo

Holiday, Crowder, Antetokounmpo, Portis, Lopez

Moving in the opposite direction, Milwaukee will also be able to overwhelm opponents with size. Antetokounmpo at the 3 hasn’t been very successful this season, outscoring opponents by just 0.6 points per 100 possessions, according to Cleaning the Glass. Adding Crowder into that mix should help.

When Budenholzer has unleashed this jumbo unit this season, the 2-spot was usually taken by MarJon Beauchamp, Jevon Carter, Connaughton or Allen. Adding Crowder gives them a bigger defensive punch. Meanwhile, the front court and Holiday should be able to handle the offensive load and improve their work on that end.

Dogs

Holiday, Carter, Ingles, Crowder, Portis

One of the biggest reasons for acquiring Crowder is his similarity to P.J. Tucker. When the Bucks traded for Tucker two years ago, he changed the culture of the team. They suddenly walked with a chip on their shoulder and became the hunter every night. Crowder brings that same mentality.

It’s only right, then, that we configure a unit that includes the biggest dogs Milwaukee has. Crowder and Portis bring the external snarling that is required, never backing down from a challenge. Ingles is a trash-talking extraordinaire and knows how to rile up opponents. Carter and Holiday are introverted dogs, bringing the fight every single possession. Don’t question their attitude and ferocity even if they don’t remind you about it like the other three do.