What the Milwaukee Bucks learned from the 2017 NBA Finals
A new generation of centers
Two seasons ago, the Golden State Warriors won the NBA Finals on the back of a move that shattered conventional thought and spawned a new era of roster construction. By removing a traditional center in Andrew Bogut from the lineup, and replacing him with a wing (Andre Iguodala), the Warriors began the small-ball revolution.
Draymond Green is uniquely gifted for the role of small-ball center, as he can pass, dribble and plays perennially excellent defense. Although he gives up some inches to every center he guards, he makes up for them in savvy and intensity.
The uniqueness of Draymond Green makes lineups possible for Golden State, but that doesn’t mean teams are left without a lesson to be learned. The down-shifting of lineups occurred even further during the NBA Finals, with wings LeBron James and Kevin Durant playing traditional centers off the court when deployed at the 5.
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A player such as Thon Maker gives the Bucks an option who opens up the offense while not sacrificing defense — and has traditional center size. That’s the true cheat code of the modern NBA center. His potential to combine lateral quickness and shot-blocking with floor-spacing and ball movement is the key to the Bucks reaching their potential.
But the beauty of this roster is that Maker is not their only path to such lineups – Antetokounmpo is as well. At 6’11”, the Greek Freak can be deployed at center by head coach Jason Kidd, surrounding him with long defenders able to space the floor.
Suddenly a version of the “Death Lineup” blooms in Wisconsin, and it’s fearsome to behold in its own right. When the chips are down, the Bucks have cards to play.