Milwaukee Bucks: 3 key stats that could bolster title hopes
2. Decent long-range attack
One of the factors that make the playoffs so intense and entertaining is teams aren’t able to produce points as easily as they did during the normal 82-game regular season. Thankfully, the Bucks have another weapon in their arsenal: 3-point shooting.
I will get the negative portion of the narrative out of the way by stating that the Bucks are NOT an elite team from beyond the arc. Their 35.6 percent conversion rate is good enough for the 16th-best mark in the NBA. On the positive side of the story, the Bucks are just one percentage point away from being a top-10 team in this category.
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Additionally, the Bucks are ranked fourth in attempts, hoisting up 38.6 per contest. They are ranked fourth in 3-pointers made, averaging 13.7 per outing. However, the story does not end there. The Bucks have multiple players who are shooting the ball at a respectable clip from distance this season.
Let’s start with the reigning MVP. Giannis Antetokounmpo is shooting 30.6 percent from beyond the arc. No, this is not anything to be overly excited about, but it is a five percent bump up the 25.6 shooting percentage he posted in 2018-19.
George Hill is connecting on 48 percent of his 3-pointers on 2.9 attempts per game. Khris Middleton is shooting 41.8 percent from long range on 5.8 attempts per outing. Eric Bledsoe is shooting 34.8 percent from long range and Wesley Matthews is shooting 36.5 percent from deep following a 2018-19 campaign in which he shot just 20 percent as a member of the New York Knicks.
Heck, even Robin Lopez is shooting 34.4 percent from the land of 3, albeit on a modest 1.6 attempts per contest. As Bucks fans remember, the Raptors took control of last year’s playoff series once they were able to stop Giannis from getting to the rim at will.
And while teams will attempt to implement that strategy again, the Bucks have enough perimeter shooters to keep opposing defenses honest.