Milwaukee Bucks: 3 seamless steps to get back to the NBA Finals
By Luke Duffy
3. Milwaukee Bucks need a higher volume of 3-pointers to contend once again.
During the regular season last year, the Bucks shot 36.6 percent from deep. This was good for fifth in the entire league, and was an elite rate (for context, the Miami Heat led the league at 37.9 percent). Yet during the postseason, that number shrank considerably to 32.7 percent, which was better than only five other teams in the playoffs — Miami, ironically, being one of them.
It is no surprise that the Bucks would be built this way, as it is a model that teams featuring LeBron James have used for over a decade. They have the interior presence in Antetokounmpo to destroy opponents, and if they surround that with high-level shooting from deep, they are a near unstoppable force.
The organization knows this, but they look like they are only going to get better in this area this coming season. Pat Connaughton had his best season as a pro last year, and in 5.7 attempts from deep per game, he shot a shade below a scorching 40 percent. He is bang in his prime, and as long as he is making shots from beyond the arc, his value will be huge to this franchise.
The guard combo of Grayson Allen (40.9 percent) and Jrue Holiday (41.1 percent) also had incredible shooting years last season, and if they can come close to those numbers again, the Bucks are going to be in great shape. We say close because the team has gotten some reinforcements in this area, both internally and from outside the franchise.
Middleton shot 37.3 percent from deep last year, and that number should see a slight increase next year. The big addition though is Joe Ingles, who may be covering from an ACL injury and will not be available for a lot of the year, but who is also a career 40.8 percent shooter from deep. Wesley Matthews is also back, and he is a career 37.7 percent shooter from the 3-point range. In other words, the Bucks will be back in a big way in this area.