Milwaukee Bucks (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
For the most part, this Milwaukee Bucks team is an open book, which means we’ve seen glimpses of what works and what doesn’t.
There’s quite a bit to like about this iteration of the Milwaukee Bucks. By this point, head coach Mike Budenholzer knows the strengths and weaknesses of his team. The roster is mostly comprised of veterans who’ve made names for themselves by honing in on their specialties and letting others take the spotlight. It’s a team designed to funnel through reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who opens up the floor for shooters and defends every position to near-perfection.
Considering that the team is generally predictable, you’d have to think there aren’t many tricks up Budenholzer’s sleeve like competitors such as the Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat. If they’re going to experiment with lineups, these eight seeding games are the time to do it, but the Bucks should remain steady instead of trying to change their identity in the restart. If they maintain their level of play heading into the postseason, they should be in line for a Finals appearance.
https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1286379310954078208
Some may consider Milwaukee’s lack of tricks to be a weakness, but I don’t necessarily agree with that. As the proverb goes —If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! If Budenholzer tries to force funky lineup combinations and inconsistent rotations, it may off-put everything the Bucks have achieved so far. In terms of schemes and strategies, of course, they’ll need to adapt based on their opponent, but the Bucks are the best team in the NBA this season for a reason.
If they try to be a team that they’re not, they’ll end up in the gutter wondering what went wrong. Besides the fact that Kawhi Leonard hit another level, part of what bested the Bucks in last year’s Eastern Conference Finals was that Toronto forced Milwaukee to play their style instead of sticking to what worked for them all season long. Repeating that would be a disaster for a franchise that can’t afford to make mistakes with Giannis’ contract extension looming in the near future.
With all of that in mind, here are three things that we don’t want to see from the Milwaukee Bucks as they resume their season in the bubble.
Milwaukee Bucks</a>. By this point, head coach Mike Budenholzer knows the strengths and weaknesses of his team. The roster is mostly comprised of veterans who’ve made names for themselves by honing in on their specialties and letting others take the spotlight. It’s a team designed to funnel through reigning MVP <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/07/31/milwaukee-bucks-three-things-bubble/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/a/antetgi01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Giannis Antetokounmpo</a>, who opens up the floor for shooters and defends every position to near-perfection.</p>
<p>Considering that the team is generally predictable, you’d have to think there aren’t many tricks up Budenholzer’s sleeve like competitors such as the Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat. If they’re going to experiment with lineups, these eight seeding games are the time to do it, but the Bucks should remain steady instead of trying to change their identity in the restart. If they maintain their level of play heading into the postseason, they should be in line for a Finals appearance.</p>
<p>https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1286379310954078208</p>
<p>Some may consider Milwaukee’s lack of tricks to be a weakness, but I don’t necessarily agree with that. As the proverb goes —If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! If Budenholzer tries to force funky lineup combinations and inconsistent rotations, it may off-put everything the Bucks have achieved so far. In terms of schemes and strategies, of course, they’ll need to adapt based on their opponent, but the Bucks are the best team in the NBA this season for a reason.</p>
<p>If they try to be a team that they’re not, they’ll end up in the gutter wondering what went wrong. Besides the fact that Kawhi Leonard hit another level, part of what bested the Bucks in last year’s Eastern Conference Finals was that Toronto forced Milwaukee to play their style instead of sticking to what worked for them all season long. Repeating that would be a disaster for a franchise that can’t afford to make mistakes with Giannis’ contract extension looming in the near future.</p>
<p>With all of that in mind, here are three things that we don’t want to see from the Milwaukee Bucks as they resume their season in the bubble.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/07/31/milwaukee-bucks-three-things-bubble/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 1. Don't get too cute with small-ball lineups </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-405779" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/07/31/milwaukee-bucks-three-things-bubble/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1200261081.jpeg" alt="Milwaukee Bucks" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1200261081.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1200261081-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Milwaukee Bucks (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>1. Small-ball lineups with Khris Middleton or Kyle Korver at the four</h2>
<p>Small-ball is a gift and a curse at the same time. On one hand, some teams use it to perfection, putting workhorse forwards in at the center position to do the dirty work while providing offensive versatility at a naturally stagnant position. On the other hand, it leaves teams to get left in the dust against big-bodied opponents like the Bucks.</p>
<p>Playing to their strengths is part of what makes Milwaukee a title contender. When you look at this roster, the only viable candidate to play down from his natural position is Giannis and a large part of that is because he doesn’t truly have a position. You can slot him comfortably at spots one-through-five and he’ll make it work, which isn’t the case for most players in the league, let alone on this team.</p>
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<p>All-NBA-candidate <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/07/31/milwaukee-bucks-three-things-bubble/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/middlkh01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Khris Middleton</a> is having a splendid year for the Bucks, hovering near the illustrious 50/40/90 club as the second-best player on the league’s most successful regular-season team. If he’s going to slot in at a position other than small forward, he’s better suited to play the two-guard than a small-ball four. However, there’ve been times when Coach Bud decided to get cute and slot him down at the power forward, which isn’t going to work.</p>
<p>Middleton is a commendable defensive player, but he’s going to get destroyed by more natural power forwards inside and on the boards. It’s not a large percentage, but 20 percent of his minutes came at the power forward this year, according to Basketball-Reference. Of active Bucks players with at least 500 minutes this season, Middleton ranks seventh in rebound percentage and second-to-last in block percentage.</p>
<p>When push comes to shove, Middleton should not be slotted down to the four-spot. The same applies to sharpshooting-extraordinaire <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/07/31/milwaukee-bucks-three-things-bubble/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/k/korveky01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Kyle Korver</a>, who spent 16 percent of his minutes at the power forward. It’s not a look that’s viable for a team that wins based on its defense.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/07/31/milwaukee-bucks-three-things-bubble/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 2. Forced triples instead of taking them in stride </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-405777" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/07/31/milwaukee-bucks-three-things-bubble/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1067,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1203498934.jpeg" alt="Milwaukee Bucks" width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1203498934.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1203498934-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Milwaukee Bucks (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>2. Forced 3-point jumpers from the Lopez brothers</h2>
<p>Before opening pandora’s box, I need to clarify that both <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/07/31/milwaukee-bucks-three-things-bubble/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/lopezbr01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Brook Lopez</a> and <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/07/31/milwaukee-bucks-three-things-bubble/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/lopezro01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Robin Lopez</a> should be taking 3-pointers when in the flow of the offense. They’ve each proven to be decent when shooting wide-open on the perimeter, but it’s not where they’re at their best and nowadays, launching triples has become a force of habit for the tandem.</p>
<p>The Lopez brothers have made names for themselves by playing an old-school interior game. Brook made an All-Star appearance with his post prowess, rim protection and confident mid-range jumpers in 2013. While he’s hit another level in the progression of his career, Brook is a traditional big man at his core. Over the Bucks’ three scrimmages in Orlando, we’ve seen both sides of the coin from Brook the shooter.</p>
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<p>Against San Antonio, he made all three of his deep jumpers within the flow of the offense. The 32-year-old took advantage of San Antonio’s dearth of viable bigs by forcing less-experienced players to close out on his shots. Those three attempts were all examples of the “dos” when it comes to Brook Lopez’s 3-point usage.</p>
<p>Inversely, we saw him go 2-for-7 in the final blowout loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, who closed out hard and made the 7-footer uncomfortable launching from deep.</p>
<p>The same thing can apply to his brother Robin, who hasn’t set any precedent for himself as a reliable knockdown shooter. 32-year-old centers don’t suddenly become go-to 3-point marksmen 12 years into their career — there has to be some evidence to back up the fact that he’s a threat from that range and even as a mid-range shooter, Robin hasn’t shown much.</p>
<p>Through 60 games, Robin has taken nearly twice as many threes as he took in the entirety of his career. I’m not saying he shouldn’t take them when he’s open, but in no world is Lopez jacking unnecessary threes going to make Milwaukee a better team.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/07/31/milwaukee-bucks-three-things-bubble/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 3. Open corner threes for teams that excel in that zone </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-405778" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/07/31/milwaukee-bucks-three-things-bubble/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1183658529.jpeg" alt="Milwaukee Bucks" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1183658529.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1183658529-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Milwaukee Bucks (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>3. Open 3-pointers for respected shooters in the playoffs</h2>
<p>Some of the best defensive teams in the league this year have given up the most 3-point attempts. For a league that’s trending smaller and emphasizing that shot, it’s intriguing to note that there’s a premium on above-the-break attempts.</p>
<p>Milwaukee has allowed 2,510 attempts from deep this year which ranks fourth in the NBA. Opponents are shooting around a league-average mark at 35.6 percent against the Bucks, which ranks eighteenth despite being posting the No. 1 defensive rating by a decent margin. Coach Budenholzer has found a way to orchestrate a dominant interior defense that negates the higher rate of 3-pointers allowed, but when the game intensifies during the playoffs, they need to make sure they aren’t giving up too many 3-pointers.</p>
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<p>Milwaukee’s three worse losses came against the San Antonio Spurs, Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers this season. In those games, they allowed their opponents to shoot 19-of-35 (54.3 percent), 18-of-37 (48.6 percent) and 21-of-44 (47.7 percent) from beyond the 3-point arc. It’s reasonable to suspect that a mediocre 3-point-shooting team that emphasizes paint protection is going to lose games when its opponent is taking and making a large sum of those long shots. It’s simple math at that point.</p>
<p>Adjusting to the flow of the game and having their players focus on perimeter defense isn’t going to completely disrupt the Bucks’ plans. When Budenholzer notices that opponents are letting threes fly and his team is allowing it, he needs to call an audible. Milwaukee could put together a dangerous 2-3 zone because of the agility of its perimeter defenders and the threat they pose when trapping on the wing.</p>
<p>The aforementioned Brook Lopez is always going to lurk near the rim to alter shots. That adds a safety net for Antetokounmpo to roam the perimeter when shooters get hot.</p>
<p>Giannis is a versatile defender who can give headaches to opponents on the wing. He tends to focus on limiting attempts near the paint. If he were to use his length and quickness to emphasize closing out on shooters, he’ll greatly help his team and probably even swat a few jumpers in the process</p>
<p>This isn’t to say the Bucks need to restructure their entire strategy, but there are still holes to plug and allowing perimeter jumpers at high volumes isn’t going to work in the playoffs.</p>
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