Milwaukee Bucks: 4 false assumptions after the first 8 games
The Milwaukee Bucks should look for a 3-pointer on every possession
On December 29th, the Milwaukee Bucks made an NBA record 29 3-pointers in a single game. The barrage of threes they reigned down on the Miami Heat was certainly impressive. However, this is the same team that shot 7-of-38 from 3-point land two days earlier in a loss to the New York Knicks. There’s an old saying that goes “live by the three, die by the three.” The 3-point shot is an important part of the modern NBA, but an over-reliance on shots beyond the arc will be the undoing of any team.
The first team in NBA history to take more 3-point shots than 2-point shots over the course of a season was the 2018 Houston Rockets. That year, they had the best regular season record in the NBA and enjoyed home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. However, their incapability to find other ways to score when the outside shot wasn’t falling eventually caught up with them. In Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals against the Golden State Warriors, they shot a dismal 7-of-44 from distance in a losing effort.
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The Milwaukee Bucks have the good fortune of being able to score in a multitude of ways. Yes, the team is blessed with good 3-point shooting, but they also have Giannis Antetokounmpo, who attacks the basket better than anyone else in the game. Starting point guard Jrue Holiday has been known to put an unsuspecting defender on a poster, and center Brook Lopez still has an arsenal of post-up moves at his disposal.
When the Bucks are having a bad shooting night, Budenholzer has to remember to utilize these options. Otherwise, his team will suffer the same fate as the Rockets.