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Milwaukee Bucks: Hopefully, Brook Lopez’s scrimmage shooting continues

By Cody Larson

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - NOVEMBER 27: Brook Lopez #11 of the Milwaukee Bucks is fouled by Damian Jones #30 of the Atlanta Hawks during a game at Fiserv Forum on November 27, 2019 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - NOVEMBER 27: Brook Lopez #11 of the Milwaukee Bucks is fouled by Damian Jones #30 of the Atlanta Hawks during a game at Fiserv Forum on November 27, 2019 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /
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Has Milwaukee Bucks big Brook Lopez found his deep shot?

Brook Lopez is immensely valuable for the Milwaukee Bucks.

On the defensive end of the floor, he is one of the league’s best shot contesters and rim protectors (and a big reason for why the Bucks are the NBA’s top-ranked defense). On offense, he thrives as a floor-spacing presence that opens the paint for Giannis Antetokounmpo. That presence (like his defensive contributions) is a big reason why Milwaukee also has the league’s top-ranked offense.

Unfortunately, though, his stellar shooting stroke (that birthed his great “Splash Mountain” nickname) seemingly took a trip to the refrigerator this season and never really returned.

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Brook Lopez’s 3-point shooting in 2018-19:

  • 36.5 percent on 6.3 attempts per game

Brook Lopez’s 3-point shooting in 2019-20:

  • 29.6 percent on 4.7 attempts per game

Now, that’s not to suggest he was completely invaluable in that role. Defenders still respected his reputation and followed him out to the perimeter (likewise, still leaving an open paint down low for Giannis Antetokounmpo), but as the stats suggest, his more-literal production took an evident blow.

That literal production (meaning him literally making the 3’s that he is taking) is important. Having a higher efficiency from deep and having a stronger off-ball gravitational pull tends to go hand-and-hand. Because at the end of the day, defenders are more likely to close-out on a 36.5 percent shooter than a 29.6 percent shooter. That especially becomes more true over time.

Brook’s reputation as a knockdown 3-point threat should be expected to lose weight if he continues to tread around that 29.6 percent mark. This would lead to more clogged driving lanes for Giannis and also – more bluntly – this would just lead to the Bucks having a less-reliable spot-up shooting option than they had with Brook last season.

For a team who relies on 3-point efficiency and volume more than anyone, this is less-than-ideal for Milwaukee. That’s why it would be a fair hope to have, for Bucks fans, that Brook would return dramatically from the current COVID-19 pandemic as his former true “Splash Mountain” self.

As if his emphatic love for the NBA bubble location, Disney World, would send a “shooters spark” down his spine. Well, to any potential doubter’s avail, that is exactly what (potentially) happened.

Perhaps it was the same magic that makes a child’s eyes glisten when they first lay eyes on Cinderella’s castle, but nevertheless, Brook found himself going 3-for-3 from downtown during Milwaukee’s first bubble scrimmage against the San Antonio Spurs. He also made six 2-point shots for a total of 17 points in 18 minutes, and also nabbed four rebounds along with two blocks. But what really matters, for this overreactive article’s sake, is his 100 percent success rate from 3.

It was a welcoming sight to the NBA bubble for Bucks fans to see Brook not miss a 3 during a game (something he typically does 70.4 percent of the time). Whether or not that actually means anything remains to be seen, but chances are that it probably doesn’t. It was just three 3-pointers after all, a sample size too laughably small to gauge any real information from.

But a sample size that isn’t too small is Brook’s aforementioned 2018-19 shooting split: his 36.5 percent success rate on 6.3 3’s per game. That’s the sample Bucks fans would like to see Brook mimic at Disney for the rest of the season; thus far (no matter how short it’s been), he looks to be trending in that direction. If so, that means Milwaukee fans should see more of this:

And also, of course, more of this (notice the defensive coverage in the following clip. Giannis should see plenty of that in the bubble; Brook making these 3’s at a high rate is key) :

Those two clips are the “Splash Mountain” most fans are accustomed to, more so because of the 2018-19 season rather than 2019-20. The percentages can attest to that; hopefully, Brook can be closer to 36.5 percent in the bubble, not 29.6 percent. That could be one of the main deciding factors as to whether or not the Bucks are still in Disney come the NBA Finals.

Luckily, Brook is currently shooting 100 percent from 3 at Disney – which is closer to 36.5 percent than it is 29.6 percent – so he is evidently, undeniably headed down the right path.

The Clippers are a sleeping giant. dark. Next

Just kidding, but can an article revolving around only three 3-pointers really take itself that seriously? In all actuality, only time can “undeniably” tell where Brook’s 3-point stroke “evidently” is headed, and all Milwaukee Bucks fans can do is wait and hope for the best.

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