Milwaukee Bucks: Complete 2018 offseason grades
Scooping up Brook Lopez
If signing Ersan Ilyasova to a multi-year deal fit a need but at questionable value, signing Brook Lopez to start at center was filling a need at excellent value. Lopez, coming off of a three-year, $60 million contract, signed for one year at $3.4 million.
Lopez earned that contract as a low-post big for the Brooklyn Nets, starting at center during the failed Deron Williams push for contention. Yet as the modern NBA began to shift away from him, he reinvented himself as a stretch-5, hitting 112 3-pointers last season and 134 in 2016-17.
Only five seven-footers took 40 percent of their shots from deep, and Lopez was one of them.
| Crit | Crit | Crit | Tota | Tota | Tota | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rk | Player | Ht | Season | Age | Tm | 3PAr | MP | WS | G | 3P | 3PA |
| 1 | Kelly Olynyk | 7-0 | 2017-18 | 26 | MIA | .440 | 1779 | 5.5 | 76 | 106 | 280 |
| 2 | Dirk Nowitzki | 7-0 | 2017-18 | 39 | DAL | .445 | 1900 | 4.8 | 77 | 138 | 337 |
| 3 | Brook Lopez | 7-0 | 2017-18 | 29 | LAL | .410 | 1735 | 3.8 | 74 | 112 | 325 |
| 4 | Lauri Markkanen | 7-0 | 2017-18 | 20 | CHI | .465 | 2020 | 3.3 | 68 | 145 | 401 |
| 5 | Dragan Bender | 7-1 | 2017-18 | 20 | PHO | .665 | 2069 | 0.1 | 82 | 118 | 322 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 8/27/2018.
With the Los Angeles Lakers focused elsewhere, Lopez was on the open market and surprisingly without a large number of suitors. This could be due to his limited defensive tools or a perceived “down season” in a smaller role with the Lakers. While Lopez is not going to transform the Bucks into a contender, there are reasons to think he is a steal at his salary and on this team.
Offensively he can stretch the floor around Antetokounmpo, something John Henson and Thon Maker could never do consistently last season. Defensively, he can guard 5s and provide rim protection, freeing Antetokounmpo up to guard the opponent’s best forward threat. Last year, the team had to choose between defense (Henson) or spacing the floor (sliding Antetokounmpo to the 5 and adding another swingman). Now they can do both.
Next season, the team will have non-Bird rights and could bring Lopez back on a modest raise or dip into a larger exception to re-sign him. He could also be a one-year option as Maker develops, moving on when the young prospect is ready to start. For this season, his impact should be significant, and all for a low price.
Grade: A