Milwaukee Bucks: Defense should not be a priority at the NBA trade deadline

The Milwaukee Bucks are reportedly looking to bolster their defensive personnel as we approach the NBA trade deadline on March 25th. Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer reported on March 4th that the Bucks were attempting to acquire a defensive specialist like P.J. Tucker.

Why the Milwaukee Bucks should not prioritize defense at the NBA trade deadline

But is this the right approach for Milwaukee? No, as head coach Mike Budenholzer has been the catalyst behind the team’s defensive issues. Budenholzer has implemented a defensive system that focuses on protecting the paint.

For example, Ben Simmons brought the ball up to the top of the key early in the first quarter of a road game against the Bucks last season. Simmons proceeded to pass the ball to Tobias Harris, who stood on the right-wing. Upon receiving the basketball, Harris was looking to dump the ball into Al Horford, who was attempting to post up on the right block.

Unfortunately, Harris could not pass the ball to Horford because Wes Matthews was fronting him in the post preventing Harris from getting a clear angle for the pass. Matthews’ reaction led Harris to pass the basketball to Joel Embiid, who stood at the free-throw line. Like Harris, Embiid tried to pass the ball to Horford but was unable to because Brook Lopez and Matthews raised their arms, blocking his view. Embiid ended up settling for a mid-range jumper which he missed.

Budenholzer’s system has contributed to the team being in the top 5 in opponent shooting within the restricted area as they are holding opponents to 58.2 percent shooting on 24.3 attempts per game. The shooting percentage has helped him be in the top 5 opponent’s points in the paint, allowing 41.3 per game since the 2018-19 season.

Although the team has done a fantastic job protecting the paint, the system leaves them susceptible to threes as players can’t get to the three-point line in time to properly contest. For example, Bradley Beal had the ball on the left-wing early in the first quarter of a home game against the Bucks waiting for Alex Len to set the screen for him.

Once Len set the screen, Beal went over it and immediately passed the ball to Russell Westbrook on the other side of the court as he couldn’t get separation from Jrue Holiday. Westbrook decided to drive to the basket leading Donte DiVincenzo and Lopez to rotate over and help Khris Middleton protect the paint.

Unfortunately, DiVincenzo’s original assignment Garrison Matthews was left open in the left corner. Westbrook saw Matthews open and passed him the ball for an open three, which he missed.

Consequently, Budenholzer’s system has been the catalyst behind Milwaukee being in the bottom five in opponent 3-point attempts since 2018 allowing 37.8 per game. The only difference is that opponents are making more of those attempts. Before this season, opponents converted 35.8 percent of their threes on 37.8 shots per game. The conversion rate allowed opponents to generate 40.5 points per game, 37.2 percent of the scoring output.

Opponents have increased their 3-point percentage by 1.7 percent as they have converted 37.5 percent of their shots from behind the arc on 37.8 attempts over the first 39 games. The shooting percentage helped opponents generate 42.6 points per game, 37.8 percent of their scoring output.

Budenholzer’s defensive philosophy makes it difficult for any player to fix the team’s weakness. Therefore, Milwaukee has to rely on opponents going cold from behind the arc to be successful on defense. In conclusion, the Milwaukee Bucks are unlikely to solve their issues by adding a defensive specialist at the NBA trade deadline, as Budenholzer’s philosophy is at the center of their defensive problems.