Milwaukee Bucks add much needed shooting in offseason
Coming into the off-season, the Milwaukee Bucks had one glaring need that had to take priority over everything else. They were desperate for floor spacing, especially in the frontcourt as their offence was often stagnant due to the lack of three point options. It was set to be a difficult task as the majority of NBA franchises are now chasing three-point shooters in an era that is being defined by teams shooting more threes than mid-range jumpers. The Median number of threes taken by NBA teams in the 2009-2010 season was 17.7, this has now risen to 23.8 due to a change in the offensive styles of most teams.
Sadly for Bucks fans, their front office didn’t really get the memo and they only attempted 15.6 over the course of last year. I am not here to suggest that every team has to run a seven seconds or less style three point bombing offence, but if your best player is an athletic freak like Giannis Antetokounmpo then it would make sense to have people spacing the floor as double teams and defensive collapses are inevitable when the Greek Freak is on the ball. The issue for the Bucks last year was that none of their front court guys could consistently shoot the three ball and as a result, defences could just play hard on Khris Middleton and pretty much shut the Bucks offence down. Jerryd Bayless was a deadly shooter for the Bucks, but he didn’t fit their defensive philosophy as he was too slow for Sean Sweeney’s ‘always switch’ defence. This is why he ultimately departed the franchise.
Dellavedova:
Jerryd Bayless’ replacement comes in Matthew Dellavedova who is coming off the back of a championship-winning campaign with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Dellavedova brings great perimeter shooting to Milwaukee as he shot 40% over his three years at the Quicken Loans arena. What is most impressive is that the number improved in each of his seasons, this shows he is a player on the up rather than one on the decline. The advanced stats are also kind to Dellavedova, he was in the 95th percentile on spot up shooting and he shot an eFG of 69% on catch and shoot jumpers. The only players who ranked above him were Troy Daniels and Steph Curry. One of the things Jason Kidd will love about Dellavedova is his work rate, he is a yard-dog when he is on the basketball court and he fights for everything which suits the Bucks philosophy. Jason Kidd echoed these thoughts at his first press conference of the off-season when he said Dellavedova has the ‘intangibles’ to succeed such as Work rate and Basketball IQ. The Bucks had previously had their bench torn apart as Zaza Pachulia and Jared Dudley departed to make room for Greg Monroe’s contract, the signing of Dellavedova is the first step to restocking their roster.
Finally… A Stretch Four!!
The Bucks last year would often use a front court of Greg Monroe, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker and whilst this lineup was athletic, it lacked any kind of shooting ability. Giannis shot 25% from three, Parker managed 26% and Monroe doesn’t shoot the three under any circumstances. This was a gigantic problem but John Hammond has potentially solved it by adding two stretch fours. The first was Thon Maker as they used the 10th pick of the 2016 Draft to select, there are some disputes about his age but these accusations have no real concrete evidence backing them up. Maker can come in and make a huge difference to their lineups as he is a fearless athlete who can shoot the three with some accuracy. He shot 90% from the line over the course of his High school career and in his own words, ‘he can do everything’. We don’t know if this confidence will translate to an NBA basketball floor, but Maker at least gives them some versatility and floor spacing which will help Jason Kidd’s rotations greatly. Last year he would often have to sacrifice defence for shooting but with the additions of good front court players who can shoot, this won’t be necessary.
Mirza Teletovic was the second stretch four that John Hammond opted to sign, he comes off the back of a terrific season with the Phoenix Suns where he shot 40% from the field and broke an NBA record for three-pointers made from the bench (165). Jason Kidd had previously coached the Bosnian when he was at the Brooklyn Nets and he was clearly pleased with his addition to the roster. He was quick to tell reporters that there is more to his game than three point shooting. He said of the situation:
“He can shoot the three, we all know that,” Kidd said. “But he can put the ball on the floor and get to the basket. He’s a team guy. He’s a little more athletic than you think, and we need that toughness. He’s not afraid.”
Jason Kidd is definitely correct about Teletovic offering more than shooting, but in the short term his shooting is what will be most valuable for the young Milwaukee Bucks team. He was in the 88th percentile as a spot up shooter and nearly a third of his plays were spot up shots. He was absolutely deadly and he was a great fit in Jeff Hornacek’s shooting sets. His quick release and his ability to make shots under pressure means teams will have to guard him tightly and this will only create more driving angles for Giannis Antetokounmpo to work with. Teletovic isn’t an expensive or flashy player, but his skillset can benefit teams who have guards who like to attack the paint. It’s strange that Phoenix didn’t fight to keep him as Eric Bledsoe led the NBA in drives and Teletovic’ shooting opened up more angles for him.
The Bucks offseason was quietly impressive, John Hammond and Jason Kidd deserve some credit for making it work.
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