Milwaukee Bucks: Will a healthy Brook Lopez boost Bucks’ playoff chances?

How much could the return of Brook Lopez elevate the Milwaukee Bucks? 

Despite Brook Lopez only playing in his fifth game this season, the Milwaukee Bucks are still in great shape with only 10 games left to play before playoffs.

They’ve had role players step up and make huge contributions to the team and that’s why the Bucks are in second place in the Eastern Conference and only two games behind the Miami Heat.

Can Lopez “shake off the rust” in the short time before the playoffs and help his Bucks be back-to-back champions?

The seven-footer has carved out a nice NBA career for himself in the 14 years and counting he’s been in the league. Lopez knows what he is good at and he sticks to it. Over his career, he averages 16.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per game.

Another aspect of his game that is underrated is just his presence on the glass and the ability to be a disrupter on defense. The other team needs to have somebody just as big to stop his seven-foot, 282-pound frame. He’s an ideal teammate for anybody who plays with him because he always gives 100 percent and is very soft-spoken. He lets his play do the talking.

Lopez is very much a traditional big man that is a staple to have in the league. The NBA has changed since Lopez was drafted in 2008. Three-pointers have taken over and now almost everybody is expected to be able to shoot, even big men like Brook. He did adapt to the present-day NBA and developed a 3-point shot after not taking a single attempt in his first six seasons.

Now at 33, soon to be 34, he has a 3-point percentage of 34 which is great for someone of his size.

This is Brook’s fourth year with Milwaukee after spending nine seasons with the Nets, and one with the Lakers. He was also fortunate enough to win the NBA Finals with the Bucks last year. In 23 games played in last year’s playoffs, he averaged 13.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks.

Lopez had to have surgery on a bulging disk in his lower back. That is why he has missed a majority of the season and only appeared in his fifth game last night. Both Lopez and the Bucks do not want to reaggravate a previous injury, so I’m sure they will be cautious with how much they use Lopez in these final 10 games. Playoffs are more important to a team like Milwaukee.

Other players have had to step up in Lopez’s absence. One of those players is Bobby Portis who is having a career year in scoring (15.0 points per game) and rebounding (9.1 rebounds per game). Portis only started seven games in the 2020-21 season. This year Portis has started in 57 of Milwaukee’s 72 games so far.

Milwaukee also acquired Serge Ibaka from the LA Clippers at the NBA Trade Deadline to help sure up the boards and to give some assistance to Giannis during the game. Ibaka is an NBA Champion with the 2019 Toronto Raptors. His veteran leadership and championship DNA were all factors to why the Bucks traded for him during the season.

How can the addition of Brook Lopez back into the starting lineup give Milwaukee the boost the need to return to championship form? Will the Bucks be repeat champs, or will we see a new team climb to the top?