Off the court, Larry Sanders is one of the most softspoken players on the Milwaukee Bucks roster.

His comments, and his tone, is often measured, and at times nearly inaudible for those more than just a few feet away.

On the court, the switch flips.

It’s what endears him to fans, and what pushed him to a 2012-13 season where he nearly averaged a double-double, was in the conversation for the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award, and resulted in a 4-year, $44 million extension from the Milwaukee Bucks that kicks in this season.

There were also those fiery moments, the technical fouls, the "thumbs up" ejection. That passion, his teammates said then, can be contagious when channeled the right way.

Clearly, Sanders suffered setbacks with the weight of expectation upon his shoulders last year. He broke his hand in an off court fight. He struggled on the court as he came back, and when he finally began to find himself, he suffered a broken orbital bone. Then, his season officially ended in suspension for violating the league’s drug policy.

"There’s no perfect person," Bucks coach Jason Kidd said. "If you go through something, you learn from it and you move on."

And in moving on into 2014-15, that weight has shifted.

There are new owners, a new head coach in Kidd, a Rookie of the Year-candidate in Jabari Parker and a new GIF sensation in Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Sanders can be back to being Sanders.

And in Wednesday night’s season-opening overtime loss in Charlotte, Sanders had to manage his emotions in committing five fouls, but he also scored 10 points and pulled down five rebounds.

He blocked one shot and altered several others, came up with two steals, and, at times, pushed himself out to the wings to help on smaller players.

"Larry can play a lot of different positions – he can guard all five," Kidd said before the season. "Being able to switch him on a point guard or him being able to guard a scorer, we feel very comfortable with that. With him being able to rebound, block shots, and finish on the other end is something we’re looking forward to."

Wednesday was Sanders’ first regular season game action since Feb. 8, when he suffered that broken orbital bone against the Houston Rockets. And it was his first full game since Feb. 5, perhaps his best as a professional, when he scored 25 points on 12 of 19 shooting, pulled down 15 rebounds and blocked a shot in Denver.

"He’s capable of doing that," Bucks general manager John Hammond said. "If you look at our team and you say as far as difference makers on the floor, he’s the one player we know now, at the start of the season, he is a difference maker because he can change a game, change it at the defensive end of the floor, as a rim protector. You need someone. I look at our team, and we’re one team with him, and we’re one team without him."

On Tuesday, Sanders smiled when asked about how much he was looking forward to playing in front of the home fans on Friday night.

"I’m excited."

Simple, measured. He is looking forward to this year, but not for any reason greater than just playing basketball, and re-establishing himself as a teammate who can be counted on by others.

"It was tough just sitting there, not playing, when my team was struggling," he said of last year. "If we’re going to struggle we gotta struggle together, and I need to feel like I’m a part of that struggle. And just looking forward to struggling, overcoming that adversity that comes with a new team and being a part of that."

A minor outpatient procedure forced him to miss most of the preseason, so he likely is being worked back into game shape – but he put in the work during the summer to re-establish himself as a dominant defensive presence. It’s a presence that is needed on this young team where mistakes will be made.

But, in Kidd’s offense, his role on that end of the floor is magnified, as well.

"I think he’s key to the team," Kidd said. "Not just on defense, but on offense, too, where he can get second opportunities. He plays above the rim. They can throw it to him, he can make a play for his teammates."

That on-court responsibility, coupled with the fact Sanders said he is "probably as hungry as I’ve ever been to play" could make this year a truly breakout campaign for the 25-year-old.

"When you sign someone to a contract like that you hope you get productivity with that," Hammond said. "As I say, I don’t want to make it sound like it’s this easy, but I think to a certain extent, just because of the gifts he was given, that God gave him with his athleticism, his length, his speed, his quickness, the timing that he has to block shots, if he’s on the floor, good things are going to happen.

"He’s just got to find a way to get himself on the floor. We need 75 to 80 games out of him this year. It’d be great if we could. Lord willing he stays healthy and that he can do that for us. If he’s on the floor, he’ll be productive."