In the 50 games he played with the Milwaukee Bucks this season, Wesley Matthews has only averaged 3.5 points a game.
But despite his measly scoring average, Matthews remains an integral part of the Bucks, and that’s because of the other significant things that he brings to the table.
Helping the team win by any means necessary
For Matthews, the mindset is that basketball is not always about scoring for a player to become effective:
“It’s understanding that you can still impact the game, and that goes back to what my mom told me…I think I probably when I was like four or five years old… is that there’s so many ways that you can impact the basketball game,” said Matthews.
Matthews has embraced the role of being the player who provides the intangibles, and that includes the daunting task of containing the opposing team’s best player.
The 6-foot-5 guard has embraced the role effectively, and that’s probably the reason why he lasted this long in the NBA.
The 16-year veteran said that even in the early stage of his basketball career, he was always willing to do what the team asked him to do.
“Other than my high school time, my high school career, I’ve never been the leading scorer on my team. Could have I done it? Probably. But that wasn’t what was asked to me,” he said.
Helping the team win “by any means necessary” is Matthews’ motto:
“If that means I got to dive on the floor at 36 years old, I’ma dive on the dive at 36 years old. And I turned 37, and there’s a loose ball, I’ma dive on the floor, I turn 38, I’ma dive on the floor. It doesn’t matter,” he said.
An ultimate pro
Matthews talked about his role with Milwaukee shortly after he forced DeMar DeRozan to one of his worst games in the season in the Bucks’ 105-92 win on Wednesday night.
The victory earned the Bucks the top seeding in the NBA, which gives them a home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.
With Matthews harassing him throughout the game, DeRozan could only score eight points in 36 minutes of play.
Bucks coach Mike Bundeholzer quickly pointed out Matthews’ phenomenal job on DeRozan, who was held to 3-for-12 shooting from the field and did not score a single point in the first three quarters of the game.
“Wes tonight was phenomenal on DeRozan,” Budenholzer said.
Matthews is only averaging 15.8 minutes per game this season, and there were games in which he couldn’t crack Budenholzer’s rotation. But when his number is called, Matthews has always been ready to show up.
“He’s the ultimate pro. He’s always working, he’s always ready, he’s mentally always locked in. He wants to play every night. That’s what you want as a coach. For him to play the way he did tonight was very impressive. He’s a heck of a competitor,” Budenholzer said.
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