The Milwaukee Bucks brought in Greg Monroe this offseason in what should be a huge help to this young team taking a step forward in the 2015-16 season. While Monroe was one of the most coveted free agents this offseason a lot of the talk around the Bucks has been about John Henson who's likely not even going to start. Henson is eligible for an extension this offseason and he and the Bucks are reportedly close to agreeing on one, according to Gary Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times.
Henson was expected to be the Bucks starting center this season until they went out and signed Monroe but even with Monroe in the fold many people are expecting a breakout year from the 6 foot-11 center. After the Bucks signed Monroe Henson could have easily told his agent that he wants out of Milwaukee because he wants a chance to start but instead he wants to stick around for a long time and play a role for a young team that should continue to grow together.
The projected starters for the Bucks include Monroe at center with Jabari Parker at power forward. Parker is coming off a torn ACL though and while he is expected to be ready for the start of the season, the Bucks are likely to take it very slow with him which should mean more time for Henson early on. Either way Henson is expected to get plenty of minutes to make an impact and he has certainly shown he is capable.
Last season Henson played just 18.3 minutes per game but in that short amount of playing time he still blocked two shots a game. Henson is one of the best rim protectors in the NBA which will always give him a role but he is also a very good rebounder and can score from inside ten feet. Henson thinks that he and Monroe will be able to work well together when teams play bigger lineups but that remains to be seen as Monroe played alongside Andre Drummond for a couple of years without much team success.
Henson has reportedly been working extremely hard this offseason on getting stronger and it seems to have worked. Henson arrived at training camp last season weighing 225 pounds but this season he arrived 10 pounds heavier and reportedly looks much stronger. Henson is just 24 years old and although he won't be a starter he should see an increase in minutes and his fourth NBA season could be a big one. The Bucks should be very eager to get this extension done so they can lock down one of their promising young players for the near future.
