The three-point shot is
as important in the NBA as it ever been, but how much does it actually affect
the Milwaukee Bucks? Is it the main reason for their woes, or only part of the
puzzle? In Part 1, we covered the offense, and in Part 2, we dove deep into the
defense, and here in Part 3 we forge ahead and try to answer some of the
questions we still struggle with.How much do we need to discuss the role of the
three in the Bucks’ offense?Brett: At this point, the three-pointer seems to be
something Jason Kidd is more than willing to embrace, given he has the personnel
to do so. More than anything, the amount of threes they take, at this point, is
going to in large part depend on: a) Giannis’/Jabari development/willingness to
take them, b) the opposing defense willingness to let them take them, and c) the
same as a) and b) for the players around them, to a lesser extent. That being
said, it could probably be said that some of the team offensive staples doesn
seem to directly try to generate threes, though I not sure youe exactly trying
to run Floppy for much of anyone on this team outside of Khris Middleton. All
this to say, I don find it to be a particularly productive conversation Jason Terry
Jersey, outside of personnel and development, at this point.Adam: I think
Brett right that the personnel is more than available for this offense to be
shooting at least a league average amount of threes. Outside of the three
centers, and heck the way Henson is chucking jumpers I wouldn be surprised if
wee subjected to some late shot clock tomfoolery fr om him, but everyone on this
roster is more than able to get up shots fr om outside. That being said, the team
offensive stagnancy and the reliance on guys like Beasley and Monroe when
Giannis or Jabari isn flowing and their transition game is sputtering feels like
a bigger issue to confront at this point. The oft-repeated phrase for this team
the last few years was, “well they need to get some shooters.” I say they have
enough suitable ones in the stable now, so it a matter of integrating that into
their offense in an efficient manner going forward. At this point, there are
more depressing fish to fry.Mitchell: They could stand to shoot more, but more
than anything I want to see better off-ball movement. Whether or not this
results in higher volume of threes is inconsequential; more movement will create
more space for people to score, whether it inside, outside, or in between. Was
the previous defensive success a fluke?Mitchell: I know this will be unpopular,
but no, I do not believe that it was a fluke. Two years ago, when this defense
was introduced, the team had capable veterans playing valuable roles within the
system, specifically Zaza Pachulia and Jared Dudley. Our current roster may have
more advantages in terms of talent or tools, but Zaza and Dudley had a certain
skill that our current team lacks: communication.A defense that relies on so
much movement and activity depends on trust between the players on the floor Thon Maker
Jersey. I think that the trust is not there because there is not nearly
enough talking going on while the team is on defense. Players like Matthew
Dellavedova, Giannis, and Greg Monroe, shockingly enough, was so good in this
area that the defense seemed like it had captured the magic of 2014-15...until
one bad game turned into two, then three, and suddenly wee on a 10+ game streak
of legitimately bad defensive output.Adam: The red herring three-point
percentage from earlier in the season certainly made this year flash seem like a
fluke, but I not ready to say that 14-15 season means it entirely flukey.
Playing with five guys on a defensive string is hyper difficult in even a
conservative scheme, so when the Bucks’ defense requires even more alertness
from its players, its even easier for a single error to ripple through the team.
I think there still room for improvement with enhanced communication, but it
also requires supreme effort at all times, with little ability to ever hide
someone for a possession or two, and a risk/reward factor that can make it
crumple apart in a hurry. That, more than anything, feels like a factor that
made the semblances of greatness feel more like flukes than something
sustainable. Brett: I think fluke is much too strong a word that discredits what
Sweeney, Zaza, Dudley, Middleton and Co. were able to accomplish that season.
There no denying that the scheme in all its novelty caught many teams off-guard,
and they were consequently forcing turnovers at a league-leading rate — in that
respect, the scheme was doing its job.At the same time, maybe we should have
been able to foresee its limitations at the time — the shot profile they were
willing to give opponents looks no different than the much-maligned one we see
today; the defensive rebounding issues that seem to accompany the scheme core
principals have yet to resolve themselves on a consistent basis; the heavily
cerebral scheme was made possible by heady veterans that weren likely to be long
term pieces, a third of a season of still-good-defensively Larry Sanders, and
two thirds of a season of no Jabari Parker. So maybe it wasn a fluke, exactly,
but somewhat of a flash in the pan that greatly benefited from its novelty and
surrounding circumstances.Will things get better with the current scheme?
How?Mitchell: I have one name who will have a huge impact on the success or
failure of this scheme, at least in the short-term: Suki Hobson. The Bucks’
Senior Strength and Rehabilitation Specialist guided Jabari Parker back from an
ACL tear, and is assumed to have a major role in Khris Middleton rehab from a
torn hamstring. Middleton simply makes this defense work better. He big, he
versatile, he a willing communicator, and he has experience succeeding in Kidd
scheme. Beyond just the return of Middleton, it also slides all of the other
Milwaukee guards down a spot in the defensive hierarchy. Tony Snell, who has
done a fine job overall, no longer has to check the other team best guard
full-time. Matthew Dellavedova has historically been a good defender but has
struggled this year, and Malcolm Brogdon has great instincts and tools but is
still a rookie. Lastly, I believe that an additional change to the rotation at
center will help a great deal. Greg Monroe has been fantastic , but he is only
so good for so long, and John Henson and Miles Plumlee simply haven been getting
it done. Maybe Thon Maker is the answer, or maybe the answer is somewhere else,
but I firmly believe that putting more capable defenders at the 5 spot would be
fundamentally beneficial to the scheme.Adam: I would hope that they would get
better the longer players are in the scheme, but I not so sure it can age well.
Particularly with Giannis shouldering such a heavy load offensively and
defensively, I worry that eventually hel be forced to exert less effort
defensively in order to power the offense properly. That being said, it does
feel like their pick and roll coverage could be improved demonstrably by more
lethal defenders at the five and one. None of the Bucks centers seem mobile
enough to hedge on a pick and recover properly, an issue best exemplified in
both of the Rockets’ games. In addition Greg Monroe
Jersey, their lead guard defense just needs to be more stout. Brogdon and
Dellavedova are both competent, but I don think they have the ability to shut
down jitterbug point guards whose penetration immediately short circuits the
Bucks’ defense Milwaukee Bucks
Jerseys. If this defense hopes to be successful, they need better defenders
at the two offensive positions that can shut down their scheme the
easiest.Brett: It trite, but with the timing of this question, it honestly can
get much worse. Middleton return alone should — SHOULD — mean we never have to
see Michael Beasley on the floor again , and that alone should help to quell the
all-too-common scoring outbursts of the Mike Dunleavys of the league. At the
same time, Middleton won solve Jabari slipshod defense, the team lack of
quickness at the 1, or lack of a meaningful presence at the rim.But that why
these first three weeks are as critical as the fallout of the past two have been
https://www.bucksfansstore.com/John_Henson_Jersey-11.
Khris’ return might help cover for these shortcomings, but now is the time wh ere
we have to decide: Is a wing the answer to the myriad questions the defensive
scheme has presented us, or are there fundamental shortcomings that exist
despite his presence; will he “solve” the scheme, or will the pig still be a pig
no matter the lipstick we put on it?If you had 5 minutes to plead your case to
the coaching staff, what do you say?Mitchell: Things are bad right now. Theye
bad across the board, but theye seeming particularly bad right now. The defense
might be the worst it ever been over the last 15 games. There are good reasons
for that, and a number of them are under your control.Be smart about this. You
have the best “free safety” defender in the league, but you have to make sure he
in position to do just that. If this scheme is the path forward, commit to it
all the way. If there is even a shred of doubt , make the changes now! Whatever
it takes, the goal for the next 30ish games needs to continue to be finding
defensive techniques that both lim it opportunities for the other team and
setting Giannis free to do Giannis things.Adam: This complex defensive scheme
has remained one of my biggest gripes with this coaching staff. For years they
discussed keeping it simple on the offensive end, which, sure, that makes sense
to try and run simple sets for your younger studs. But then on the defensive
end, they continue to run this hyperaggressive, incredibly complex scheme that
accentuates their length, but also requires intense focus and high basketball
IQ. Those ideas always seemed in direct opposition to me. I mainly ask them if
the defensive learning curve is worth it.Brett: 1) Smart players or no smart
players, teams have adapted to it. 2) Even in its alleged glory , it was still
encouraging corner threes and rim attempts. 3) At some point, youe going to have
to pick between Jabari and the scheme, and that answer seems easy . 4) Both the
physical and decision fatigue the scheme puts them through is bound to wear down
on these players at some point during any given season. 5) The playoff ceiling
of a defensive system that fundamentally relies on the opposition making
mistakes is not going to be high against the highly elite teams of the
postseason https://www.bucksfansstore.com/Khris_Middleton_Jersey-13,
no matter how much your offense needs it for transition opportunities.Pass a
verdict on the Bucks’ defensive scheme: Keep It, Trash It, or Wait SeeMitchell:
I am still on Team Keep It, but I feel like Il be going down with the ship. The
NBA is all about what you can do that more special than what anyone else can do,
and I think that this specific scheme is the best way to highlight Giannis
Antetokounmpo. That isn to say that it the only way to highlight Giannis, but I
am hopeful that the number of plus-defenders already on the roster increases.
The way I see it, Giannis is the key to this defense. Without him, it doesn
work. But just as important, an additional requirement is that he surrounded by
capable teammates, which in my view is a big part of the reason the defense has
fallen off so much. Of the players on the roster https://www.bucksfansstore.com/Kareem_Abdul_jabbar_Jersey-12,
this is the list of guys I would actually trust in this scheme:Khris Middleton
Tony SnellGreg Monroe And here the list of guys who I can see working in the
scheme sooner or later, if things go their way:Matthew Dellavedova Malcolm
Brogdon Thon Maker So that means around Giannis, there are 2.5 defenders I
trust, and 3 defenders that I hopeful about. It might be a tough recipe, but the
ingredients aren there right now either. I don trust Mirza, I don trust Beasley,
I certainly don trust Henson or Plumlee. With better ingredients, I think the
defense will taste much better. Some will improve with age, and some might get
swapped out for those that fit better.Adam: Wait and see. I willing to give it
to the end of this year to see if it can recover, but three seasons seems like a
large enough sample size to determine the validity of it within the
league.Brett: Youe not going to scrap the scheme and teach something new over
the All-Star Break, so you might as well stick with it for now. But when it
inevitably doesn return to its top-5, or even top-10 status, I hope the teams
decision makers can swallow their pride and let it go.The bedrock of most gripes
with the defense is a longstanding criticism of Jason Kidd coaching abilities.
His detractors claim that he slow to make adjustments when things simply aren
working, and the extended defensive shortcomings are a main exhibit for those
arguing that case. After a certain point, the success of the defense and the
verdict on Jason Kidd as Milwaukee head coach are going to be inseparable. His
supporters would counter that Kidd greatest strengths are player development and
managing the locker room, which largely happen behind closed doors and fans can
only speculate about. Of course, this makes it difficult to compare what Kidd
does well to what he struggles with , which is part of why the conversation
around him is so tenuous. The real question is what ownership prioritizes: how
Kidd strengths contribute to the team success vs. how Kidd weaknesses detract
from it.No matter how you slice it, the unpredictability of the defense and the
consistent exposure of the same flaws has brought a lot of heat onto the team
from fans. How much of that heat is Coach Kidd feeling? How much should he be
feeling? And what is the way forward?