NBA: The struggling Rockets and 5 other eye-opening early observations
By Colin Cann
Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee was always pegged as a playoff team but few expected them to start the season this hot. They are now 6-0 after blowing out the Orlando Magic. Not all of their wins came from lottery bound teams, though. The Bucks have impressive wins over the Hornets, Pacers, 76ers, and Timberwolves.
Led by MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo and his crazy 25/14/6 stat line the Bucks are averaging 119.7 points per game, good for 5th place behind the Golden State Warriors. Coach Mike Buldenholzer has them moving the ball more than they ever have and taking much more 3-pointers, they are tied for 4th place in assists and are 2nd in 3-pt attempts with 39.8 per game behind only the Houston Rockets, the kings of hoisting up the long ball.
That is a vast improvement from last seasons 24.7 per game attempts. They have managed to up their percentage as well, going from a bottom-dwelling 35.5% to a top-10 mark with 37.7%, that is with Giannis getting off to a slow start from beyond the arc, shooting only 6% on almost 3 attempts a game. He will improve that mark which will make the Bucks that much more dangerous.
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On top of that, they are anchoring the leagues 2nd best defense trailing only the Celtics. Not only have the Bucks been winning, but they’ve also been dominating. They have been beating teams by an average margin of 16.0 ppg, by far the best in the league, over 4 points ahead of the 2nd place Golden State Warriors.