After a disappointing 2013-14 season plagued by injuries and off-court issues, rumors were spreading that defensive big man Larry Sanders was no longer part of the Milwaukee Bucks future and could be moved to another team sometime in the season. Fortunately for Sanders, the Bucks are still standing by him this offseason and believe that he is part of their future plans according to assistant General Manager David Morway, per Hoops Hype:
Absolutely. Yeah, yeah. Larry is in our future plans. We are hopeful that this year Larry gets back to being the basketball player that he was two years ago. He is a defensive presence and a game changer on the court. So when you have his length along with Giannis, Jabari Parker, John Henson and then Zaza Pachulia, Damien Inglis, who is very long, and if you play Khris Middleton at the two... We are a fairly long team.
If you really look at it, the Bucks have indeed assembled a long and also athletic team whether by design or not. A front court of Giannis Antetokounmpo (6'11), Jabari Parker (6'8"), and Larry Sanders (6'11") have the length, speed, and athleticism to cause some problems to opposing teams on both ends of the floor. Also, Antetokounmpo and Parker are just 19 years old and Sanders is still entering his prime at 25 which means that the Bucks have a solid core of young, long, and athletic trio to build on.
While Parker is widely regarded as the future super star of the team, D.J Foster of Bleacher Report believes that Sanders play is essential to the development of the entire Bucks team. Parker is a rookie and is still transitioning his game to the NBA and Sander's rim protection could really help make up for his mistakes on defence. A very young team like the Bucks also needs to create an identity early on and with Sanders setting the tone in a roster with considerable length, they could very well establish their own brand on defence.
Larry Sanders is an integral part of the Milwaukee Bucks future and the front office may have made the right choice by declining trade offers for him last year when he was having a down season. Now with a roster teeming with youth and length, it does appear that the Bucks have something special in Sanders and the lineup they have assembled with special young talents in Antetokounmpo and Parker for the coming season.
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