Wesley Matthews
Atlanta Hawks

Player Facts

Height: 6'4"
Weight: 220lbs.

Wingspan: 6'8.5"

Date of Birth: Oct. 14, 1986
College Experience: Marquette (4 years)

Selections

All Star: 0
All-NBA: 0
All-Defensive: 0

Player Grades

Speed/Explosiveness: 7
Physical Strength: 8
Positional Size: 6
Positional Wingspan: 7
Paint Scoring: 4
Midrange Scoring: 4
Three-Point Scoring: 8
Dribbling: 6
Passing: 5
Perimeter Defense: 8
Interior Defense: 6
Rebounding: 4

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JUMP TO SECTION

> Intro

> Offensive Glue Guy

> Corner Sharpshooting

> Offense to Supplement

> Powerful Positional Defense

> Grinding to Get Over

> Defensive Versatility

> Offensive Soft Spots

> Low Output Assist-Man & Rebounder

> Beacon Bacon

>Link to Player Contract & Salary Info

*All short clips courtesy of Smart Highlights & NF Highlights (YouTube)

*All statistical data courtesy of NBA Advanced Stats

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STRENGTHS

Intro

The undrafted two-guard has worked hard to stick in the league after his less conventional path. Wesley Matthews has made his mark as a gritty 3-and-D player with multi-positional defensive chops. He is a strong 220 lbs. with a lengthy 6'8.5" reach.

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Offensive Glue Guy

Matthews as a basketball player is designed perfectly to flank high-usage, ball-dominant stars. He re-joined the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021-2022 and found himself starting in key playoff games by the end of that year.

He doesn't need the ball to be effective on offense as an above-average cutter, off-ball screener, and spot-up threat. Defensively, he relishes his chances to pick up one of if not the other team's best player.

He has spread the floor for lots of Hall-of-Fame-level offensive talents. This began with LaMarcus Aldridge, then an early-career Damian Lillard, followed by MVPs like Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James. His catch-and-shooting travels well and has spaced out the floor for these guys to attack.

Corner Sharpshooting

Wes is especially a killer from the deep corners. His lowest corner three clip from 2014-2015 to 2019-2020 was 40% flat. Matthews recorded a high point of 45.3% from the side-pockets in 2017-2018.

He doesn't jump that high on his threes but for him, it does not matter. His release is ultra-quick and has a fluid energy transfer. Wesley's shot prep is also an area of strength for the true professional shooter.

These foundational shooting pillars provide the basis for his deadly spot-up shooting. He can take a transition defender with him to the corner over the concern of his open court three-balls. Canning triples in the half-court as well, of course, Wes was in the 79th percentile for spot-up scoring in 2019-2020.

Offense to Supplement

Matthews can capably read aggressive defenders and react accordingly. He'll let the fly-by happen before putting the ball on the deck. Wes can then make the logical next pass or even finish with a layup himself.

Wesley Matthews has some supplemental utility in the half-court through DHO's. He scored 51 points this way as a Buck in 2019-2020. That was more than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Kyle Lowry, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in a similar number of games played.

He's more than likely to shoot the rock right off the handoff. If the clean shot isn't there, he'll move it. This selfless offensive attitude and a strong sense of role identity have helped Wes be a low-turnover guy his entire career.

Powerful Positional Defense

Wes has always been more of a mano-a-mano defender than a disruptor. He scraps and fights to make opposing #1 and #2 options have a rough go of it. Matthews uses his strength very well in these spots and plays with his feet nicely.

That 220-pound solid body is what allows him to guard up a position or two. He does not play like a 6'4" player on the defensive end. Matthews has guarded scorers 4+ inches taller than him for long stretches in his career, from Jayson Tatum to Paul George and T.J. Warren.

He was in the 96th percentile of isolation defense in 2019-2020. Wes was on an incredible defensive team and his defensive iso possession count was relatively small, so there's a lot of noise here. Still, there's some truth in there backed up by the eye test of Wesley.

Grinding to Get Over

Matthews is an expert at staying attached to his counterpart. He circumvents off-ball screens prior to the catch, followed by the likely on-ball screen evasion. Tenacity, high defensive IQ and good core + upper body strength help him a lot here.

Defensive Versatility

That IQ helps him fit in seamlessly with strong defensive teams. He can adjust his play to mesh within a spectrum of defensive styles. Matthews was a core piece in Milwaukee's scheme which emphasized fighting over ball screens. Alternatively, he has been valuable on more switchy teams like Indiana.

Matthews can hold his ground in the post. His quick hands are employed for strips and poke-aways too. He was in the 90th percentile for post D in 2019-2020 though on a small possession size.

WEAKNESSES

Offensive Soft Spots

The Marquette product is very limited on the offensive end. To start, he cannot do much in the shot creation department. Most medium-to-big minute perimeter players run circles around him in this area.

Save for the odd attacking of a closeout, Wes is a catch-and-finish on cuts or just a catch-and-shoot guy. While north of 38% on all spot-up jumpers in 2018-2019 and 2019-2020, he was below 33% on all pull-ups. A middling handle and absence of separation moves are largely to blame here.

He's not a terrible finisher at the cup but this has never been a featured part of his scoring output. The perimeter-oriented Matthews never eclipsed 3.5 two-point makes per game nor 4.0+ free throw attempts/night even during his offensive prime. Unfortunately, a major mid-career Achilles tear sapped some of the finishing pop he did once have.

The proclivity for threes and jumpers, in general, is a factor as to why his overall percentages are downright poor. The other major reason is shot selection.

Even on threes, he takes a lot of contested looks knowing that he cannot manufacture much separation with his dribble. Overall, he shot an even 40% from the field in 2018-2019 and a hair under that in 2019-2020 and 2020-2021.

Low Output Assist-Man & Rebounder

Playmaking is another offensive area where Wes falls short of his swingman peers. His career-best of merely 2.9 assists per game tells a lot of the story here in and of itself. He has never been able to take on a larger offensive load because of his shortcomings, one that would have begotten more dimes.

He rebounds the basketball like a point guard and not as a two/three should. Some of this is because he spends lots of minutes on the perimeter on both ends. Still, when he does decide to mix it up his 6'4" size and non-elite bounce hold him back.

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Players Appearing in This Analysis – Check Out Their Profiles
bacon
Beacon Bacon

Wes' father Wesley Matthews Sr. is a two-time NBA Champion who earned these titles with the Los Angeles Lakers