Snell looks to get out of funk
Tony Snell's teammates know how important the guard is to the Milwaukee Bucks.
That's why getting Snell going after his recent struggles is imperative for the Bucks with three regular-season games left before the playoffs.
The Bucks face the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.
"His job is to shoot open shots and defend," Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo said. "We know he’s going to do that for us in the playoffs and move forward for the next game.
"We’ve just got to keep him involved as much as possible because he’s definitely a big key for us. We know Tony’s going to give everything he’s got every night. We know he’s going to defend the best player of the other team, so we always got to get him involved so he can feel good about himself. Tony is a guy that I don’t worry about, I know he’s going to be there when I need him to be there."
Snell has fallen into an offensive funk since scoring 18 points on 6-of-6 shooting against the Chicago Bulls on March 23.
In the last seven games, he has shot 7 of 23 for 18 points.
Snell missed all five of his attempts as the Bucks split matchups with the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets this week.
How can the guard get back in the groove?
"Just continue to practice hard," Snell said on Friday. "Work on my game every day. Everything will come into place."
Snell also knows that even if his shots aren't falling, he can affect the game on the defensive end.
"I can always try to find other ways to win," he said. "If I'm off that night, I'll find other ways to get us a win."
Snell's struggles have led Bucks coach Joe Prunty to go with Sterling Brown and Jason Terry in the second halves against the Celtics and Nets.
Snell didn't play after 7:01 mark in third quarter vs. the Celtics and at 9:20 against the Nets.
His combined playing time of 32 minutes 37 seconds in those two games was less than the 33:07 he played against the Denver Nuggets on April 1.
"We don't need him to force shots as we don't need anybody to force shots," Prunty said. "But he, like anybody else, has to be ready to step on the floor and
do what we need.
"And in his case, we need him to defend, individually, at a high level. So that means knowing tendencies, staying within the system and then obviously knowing the game plan. Think he's going to be fine with all that.
"Offensively, run the floor. Get out. Allow the guys that can get it up the floor quickly in Giannis, (Eric Bledsoe), Khris (Middleton) will throw it ahead if he gets a rebound, Jabari (Parker) is another guy that if he rebounds can get out quickly. But all those guys can get that ball up the floor to you, so if you're running up the floor there's another opportunity for you. And continue to space it. If you're shooting 40%, people will respect it."
Antetokounmpo makes it a point to look for Snell on offense.
"Sometimes I do because I want him to get going," Antetokounmpo said. "I know that if Tony doesn’t get going, everybody is in the paint. So if Tony hits one, pump fake the next one, drive into the lane … if he gets going then it’s easier for everybody."
Snell knows he has to perform better, especially as guards Malcolm Brogdon (quad) and Matthew Dellavedova (ankle) continue to be sidelined by injuries.
"We need everybody," Snell said. "It's playoff time. We need everybody to step up and play hard. It's a team effort, so we need everybody."