Are the Bucks Built for the Long Haul?
A look at the team through 10 Games
By Christian Puls
If you have been listening to the podcast recently you know one question has been asked on a weekly basis, “Are the Bucks built for the long haul?” On paper there is no reason they shouldn’t be, right? They are leading the central division and are ranked 3rd in the Eastern conference (In a 4 way tie with Miami, Philadelphia, and Toronto) They have the league’s reigning MVP on the team leading them in almost all significant categories. So why do they appear to be struggling so much? They have blown large leads several times, barely beating a Clippers team without Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, and narrowly beat the OKC Thunder. Without any significant changes since last year, why do they appear to be struggling so much?
Key Departures
The only significant departure the team had appears to be Malcolm Brogdon. All he has been doing since being traded is tearing it up for the division rival, Indiana Pacers. Brogdon is posting a steady line of 20.7 Points, 8.5 Assist, and 5.2 Rebounds a game. Bledsoe, on the other hand, is averaging 16.3 Points 5 Assists, and 5.7 Rebounds. In addition, Brogdon is significantly better at defending and is helping the team to win games while Pacers fans anxiously await the return or possible return of Victor Oladipo. At times, the Bucks offense has looked stagnant,, and when the point guard has the ball the team tends to sit around the arc waiting for their 3-point opportunities. The team tends to play its best ball when the offense is moving, or driving into the paint followed by either a take to the hoop or a dish to another teammate for an open three. Unfortunately, the only person who seems willing to drive appears to be the MVP himself. This is something that Brogdon does frequently and with efficiency, which is a key reason the Pacers have been doing so well to start the season.
Arrivals
The Bucks added a slew of new players to the team this year, and if you have been listening to the podcast you know who they are, but for those of you who do not, I will go over them here. Korver has been a prolific 3-point shooter throughout his career and will go down as one of the best of all time. As a play who has been to the NBA finals before he brings a leadership and knowledge that the team may have been lacking in previous seasons. He has only been averaging approximately 15 minutes a game and 7.5 points while managing to shoot 48% from 3-point land. With numbers as good as this you have to wonder why his minutes are not a little higher, especially with Giannis driving to the hoop as much as he does, attracting several defenders along the way. Wesley Mathews, another 3-point shooter, was brought in and has been averaging approximately 24 minutes a game, but only averaging 6.4 Points and 1 rebound a game. He is an above average defender which has been helping on one end, but he appears not to be pulling his weight on the offensive end where his 3-point prowess is needed. Robin Lopez was brought in to grab some boards and play some defense, but he also is only averaging a little more than 14.6 minutes a game, 3.8 points, and 2.1 rebounds a game. It appears that although these new pieces have been added they have either not gelled together with the rest of the team or the playing style of the team yet. If that is the case, there is hope that we are only 10 games into the season and there is plenty of time to get into their groove.
The All-stars
Do I even need to talk about Giannis here? I mean he just keeps doing his thing, but the free throw shooting does need to improve and get more consistent. Middleton is hot and cold, he gets his stats, but sometimes he doesn’t show up for the majority of the game and comes on strong late or starts out strong and finishes quiet. In addition, as the Bucks second leading scorer, he will be missed over these next 3-4 weeks, which leaves a void for the team that needs to be filled. This is where one of my main concerns lies for this team. The team does not have a significant or consistent scorer aside from Giannis to produce when he is not on the court. While some people say that the team plays good team ball when he is off the court, they do not have the guy that can go get a bucket when the team needs one, or to pull a team out of an offensive drought. With a team that averages just under 120 points a game, Giannis accounting for 25% of your production and 15% by Middleton, the team will be looking for production from somewhere.
Consensus
At this point, the team appears to be a playoff contender in the eastern conference finals, leading to the NBA finals, but I do not believe they have the pieces necessary to carry them to the elusive NBA title. If this team under-performs again this season, the upcoming question will be how will it impact Giannis and the Bucks organization going forward? That is several months away and there is a lot to be sorted out in the upcoming months. One thing is for sure, this team will take us on a roller coaster ride all season long!