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Milwaukee Bucks [THREAD}
So, I've been scratching my head for the last 2 seasons over how the Bucks have led the league in DefRtg when their game plan is to give up open 3's. What that means is overhelping to wall of the paint, sending 2 or 3 guys to the ball in the paint...
So, I've been scratching my head for the last 2 seasons over how the Bucks have led the league in DefRtg when their game plan is to give up open 3's. What that means is overhelping to wall of the paint, sending 2 or 3 guys to the ball in the paint...
...which leaves shooters wide open. Now, there were whispers that they were only leaving bad shooters open, which would be a great strategy. But I have yet to see any stats to back that up. In fact, they give up the 5th most wide open 3's in frequency, and 5th highest FG% on them
It never made a lot of sense that they'd intentionally do this and be successful in a league where 3pt shooting is now the focus and every team has good shooters. But there's no denying they were "getting away with it" for 2 straight years, with historic success.
But what I realized was that playing defense that way works well in the regular season. When you're traveling to different arenas, no practice time, adjustments are rare, and over 1/2 the teams you're playing just aren't very good. You can find success this way.
Here's the thing: Milwaukee fans might be satisfied with leading the conference in the regular season, being a tough out in the 2nd round, and they can feel okay with what's happening. But I sense they're expecting to compete for a title.
What's made my spidey sense tingle these past few years is that I felt the way they defended simply wouldn't work in the playoffs. When teams have days to prepare, and can gameplan to virtually guarantee lots of good shots, it makes it incredible difficult to win PO games.
And to make things worse, there doesn't seem to be any adjustments to the way they defend. Not between games, not in game, nothing. Watching the Celtics and Raptors adjust possession to possession, it's startling that the Bucks don't attempt to change what they're doing.
Now, we haven't even delved into their offense, yet. Part of me is upset w/ what's happening on that end because of what has happened with Giannis's jump shot. Watch this and you'll get depressed:
because it shows how good his mechanics were his rookie yr
because it shows how good his mechanics were his rookie yr
When you rely on a generational talent like Giannis for offense, and he can't shoot the ball outside of 8 feet, it severely limits his effectiveness. And when you take that away (except the occasional incredible transition dunk), it puts pressure on everyone else.
This makes it unfair for a guy like Middelton, who isn't really a #2 guy on an NBA Finals team. He's a perfect #3. And because Giannis's jumper might not be recoverable,there doesn't seem to be a lot they can do. That said,running the Paul Pierce FT line iso for him is suboptimal
On top of that, they let Malcolm Brogdon go and kept Eric Bledsoe. Bucks fans didn't want to hear it when I tried to explain his issues, using video evidence, but I think we're all on the same page, aren't we? Today's game certainly showed what I was talking about.
But it ended up being somewhat okay because they at least got George Hill, who takes those mins and runs the offense and can hit 3's at a high rate. If I sound frustrated, I certainly am - as frustrated as any Bucks fan out there - mainly b/c they could be better.
This season is lost, and I'm sure they'll look at their roster and make some tweaks. But they might need to continue looking deeper to figure out if there are some other fixes that can take them to the next level. They've solved the regular season - without question.
But if they have any intention of competing for a title, &don't want Giannis to leave, it's possible they'll need to do some drastic things. Giannis certainly needs to improve his individual skills. It's not enough to Euro thru everyone.
Giannis has got to find a jump shot somehow (I know I could help
)
he's got to come up with a little more variety of moves. Of course, this isn't about averaging more points - he kills it in that category. It's about being able to be effective in the post season.
)he's got to come up with a little more variety of moves. Of course, this isn't about averaging more points - he kills it in that category. It's about being able to be effective in the post season.
But I think the issues lie deeper than that, and I hope they can figure them out. I'd like to be able to break down their games and show more of the intricacies of their game plans, and how they're flexible and smart.
But right now, you'll have to listen to me shake my head as I record my voice over. And you can accuse me of being a Bucks hater or a Giannis hater, but I was one of the first to get on his bandwagon.
And I'd love to get back on it.
And I'd love to get back on it.
But as of now, I'm just frustrated and feeling empty. You can read a lot more into what I've tweeted above, and we can get into that discussion here. I welcome the conversation. I'm In.
