Milwaukee Bucks: Brook Lopez is the perfect fit at center
After falling to practically irrelevant, Brook Lopez has been a great fit next to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks
Over the last few years, Brook Lopez was beginning to see his role in the NBA diminish more and more.
Even more so as the league quickly transitioned further and further away from the basket. However, Lopez has proven to be a near perfect fit, as a center, next to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks.
Lopez has started every game for the league-best 29-11 Bucks, while averaging 12 points and four rebounds on 43 percent shooting from the field and 37 percent from 3-point range. Perhaps more than anything, he’s been the perfect center for Giannis.
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On the surface, it’s pretty easy to see why. For one, Lopez is not a traditional center – at least not anymore. He doesn’t clog the paint and doesn’t need low post touches to be effective, or to get in a rhythm.
Lopez has transformed his game to a point where he no longer needs the ball to have an impact on a team’s offense. For the Bucks, he’s worked because he’s been somewhat of a floor stretcher. And for Milwaukee, that works perfectly. Especially when your best player, Giannis, needs the paint free and clear in order to to be fully effective as a distributor, scorer and overall threat.
Over the last few years, Lopez has developed a 3-point shot that has proved to be valuable for the Bucks this season. This year Lopez is averaging nearly seven 3-point attempts per game. That’s astonishing, even more so considering this was a player that only attempted 31 3-point shots through his first eight years in the NBA.
Now, he attempts that many in roughy a week of action.
Lopez’s ability to stretch the defense not only makes life easier for Giannis, but also eases the team’s lack of shooting in their starting unit and overall. Lopez is the team’s fourth-best 3-point shooter, statistically, on the team and attempts the most.
That tells you a few things. For one, he has the green light from coach Mike Budenholzer. When Lopez is on the floor, he’s expected to make his presence felt. And on most nights, you don’t really expect the opposing center to chuck seven 3-point attempts.
Just a couple of weeks ago, Lopez hit seven 3’s in back-to-back games, against the Pistons and Nets, respectively. He also hit a season-best eight in a game against the Nuggets earlier this season too.
For much of his career, Lopez has been criticized for not being a good enough rebounder or rim-defender to warrant much playing time. Especially in the new NBA, where centers have to at least be that if they want to see consistent time on the floor.
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Lopez, who still isn’t a great rebounder, has found a team that really doesn’t need him to be a big rebounder. And one that is using his newly found outside shooting to their advantage. Brook Lopez and the Milwaukee Bucks found each other at the perfect time.
And both the statistics and standings prove just that.