Malcolm Brogdon will not be back for Game 1 and 2 of the Bucks matchup with the Boston Celtics. There is some optimism from fans, more than coaches, that he will be able to play in Game 3 on Friday night at Boston. That would put him right around the timeframe that it takes to heal his injury. This is a big loss for Bucks to start a tough series without him, but they’ve learned to play without him in the past few months. A few Bucks players have given me the confidence to believe that Milwaukee will be alright without him for now, and that it is mostly important to get him healthy for Rounds 3 and 4.

Injuries are never good, but every now and again, a bright spot does appear from an injury. Case in point, Sterling Brown’s growth as a basketball player. Brown became a vital part of this team’s final push to the number one seed and 60 wins. With injuries to Brogdon, Tony Snell, Nikola Mirotic, time opened up for the second-year player out of SMU. As the 5th scorer for Milwaukee, Brown has been excellent. He does a great job finding open shots and doing the little things on the court. He has made the Brogdon injury less of a concern due to his play.

Another player that help alleviate some of the paint of losing Brogdon is Pat Connaughton. He had a great Game 2 versus Detroit, but that has been par for the course in the last few months for him. After starting off abysmal from three, he found his stroke in final couple months of the season. It carries over to the playoffs as well. Again like Brown, he does the little things on the court, and he provides a tough matchup for defenders with his athleticism. This series will be big for him considering his ties to Massachusetts.

What’s important for Brogdon is that he gets fully healthy. If he is back for Game 3, let’s hope it is for 15 to 20 minutes per game unlike what we saw with Snell in the final two games of the Detroit series. If he is not ready to go that time allotment then rest him for another two games until he’s ready to make an impact with this team.

Charlie.