Milwaukee Bucks: Can they repeat clutch time success in 2019-20 season?

While they spent most of last season decimating their opponents, the Milwaukee Bucks were highly successful in high leverage situations. The question is whether they can generate the same level of success in 2019-20?

All throughout their sterling 2018-19 campaign, the Milwaukee Bucks systematically took apart their opponents one by one (except for the Phoenix Suns).

As all Bucks fans became aware of over the course of the year, 45 of Milwaukee’s 60 wins last season were by double digits, all of which contributed to their league-leading +8.8 point differential.

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And before their stunning collapse in the Conference Finals to the eventual NBA champions, the Toronto Raptors, the Bucks had tallied seven double-digit wins throughout their playoff run last year as well. No doubt the first round cakewalk against the Detroit Pistons helped in that regard.

While the Bucks stood as a well-oiled machine for extended stretches throughout last season, they were still prone to the occasional heated battle that went down all the way to the wire.

Even in those instances, though, the Bucks rose to the occasion to find the bottom of the net or generate enough stops to swing games in their favor more often than not. In what stands for clutch time situations by NBA.com/stats, the Bucks held the fourth-highest winning percentage at 61.1%, standing behind the LA Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers and the Denver Nuggets.

Under that distinction, contests that are within 5 points with five minutes or less remaining trigger clutch scenarios and their collective ability to muster up answers at critical moments nearly stood on equal footing with their ability to steamroll opponents on a given night.

Despite their general success in clutch situations, the Bucks stood in the middle of the pack in relation to their net rating in such spots as they ranked 13th with a +1.2 net rating in the 36 games that warranted clutch situations.

Digging deeper, it shows that the Bucks were rather egalitarian in terms of their players getting equal opportunities to either lead the team’s offense or even take the big shot in those high leverage situations.

Reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo unsurprisingly led the squad with a 28.8 usage percentage in clutch time and despite his shooting limitations, posted 92 total points on 30-of-48 shooting from the field (62.5 percent) and got to the free throw line on as many attempts (Antetokounmpo did only connect on 64.6 percent of his 48 free throw tries).

Not long behind Antetokounmpo in carrying the clutch time torch was Eric Bledsoe, who posted a 25.9 usage percentage in such moments. Just as he did upon arriving to Milwaukee midway through the 2017-18 campaign, Bledsoe showed he was very capable of delivering in big moments, judging by the 69 total points he scored on 25-of-54 shooting from the field (46.3 percent) and 7-of-17 from long range.

The big difference and loss the Bucks will have to address is the big shotmaking prowess Malcolm Brogdon provided as he hit 17 of his 26 field goal attempts (65.4 percent), which included going 9-of-12 from downtown. Perhaps a positive regression for Khris Middleton would help in that respect after the All-Star swingman went 13-of-37 from the field (35.1 percent) and 9-of-24 from three (37.5 percent), giving him 49 total points, the same amount as Brogdon.

The same goes for big man Brook Lopez, who completely misfired from the field (4-for-20) and from beyond the arc (2-for-11) and held a 11.5 usage percentage in clutch time, the lowest figure out of all Bucks starters.

Of course, Lopez more than made up for his share of regular season struggles in that regard as he put the team on his back in clutch playoff scenarios, most notably during the Bucks’ series against the Raptors. The 31-year-old led the team with 18 total clutch time points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field and was 2-of-4 from long distance (4-for-4 from the charity stripe).

For as successful as they were in clutch late game situations last year, it’ll be interesting to see whether the Bucks replicate the same level or even greater success, especially in light of the additions they made during free agency. The dynamic shooting threats that both Kyle Korver and Wesley Matthews pose will force opponents to pay attention to either one, even if it’s ultimately for a decoy to open up space for the likes of Antetokounmpo and Bledsoe to look to bury a big shot in the closing minutes.

Like all aspects of the Bucks’ upcoming season, it will be interesting to see how their clutch time execution can hold up to the same standard as last year.