Milwaukee Bucks: Don’t expect a focus on offensive rebounding

Continuing on trends of recent seasons, the Milwaukee Bucks are a guarantee to sacrifice offensive rebounds for transition defense.

For as much as the Milwaukee Bucks’ defense is likely to undergo a dramatic transformation under Mike Budenholzer, there’s one element from Jason Kidd‘s tenure — a rare defensive positive — that’s likely to survive.

The Bucks ranked third in the NBA in terms of fastbreak points allowed last season, allowing opponents to score just 10.1 points in transition per game over the course of the year.

A natural consequence of that could be found on the offensive end, as Milwaukee ranked as the league’s second worst team when it came to offensive rebounding, with only the Mavericks averaging less than the Bucks’ 8.4 offensive boards per game.

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While many may see that as a deficiency on Milwaukee’s part, it’s an increasingly common strategy in the NBA, as coaches place a greater value on being set defensively than the risk that comes attached with competing for an offensive rebound.

Considering the recently approved rule change that will see the shot clock reset to just 14 seconds as opposed to 24 seconds following an offensive rebound, it’s fair to say the incentive to prioritize offensive rebounds will now be less than ever.

Although it has changed over the past couple of seasons, thanks to the team’s personnel more than anything else, the San Antonio Spurs had long focused on defensive positioning rather than crashing the offensive glass. As a fundamental of so many of Gregg Popovich’s teams, unsurprisingly his former assistant Mike Budenholzer valued the same philosophy throughout the majority of his time with the Atlanta Hawks.

Wisely considering the Bucks’ relative strength in terms of transition defense, the early rumblings from the opening day of Milwaukee’s training camp suggests change in that department is certainly not on Budenholzer’s agenda.

In a video shared on social media by the Bucks, Budenholzer laid out why transition defense has become so essential and why it was a focus on day one of camp in Milwaukee:

"“That’s where your defense starts. If you’re not good in transition, you’re not going to be good, or you’re going to be taking it out of the net and playing a lot of offense.”"

In that same clip, Ersan Ilyasova shared a similar sentiment:

"“In this area of the NBA, everybody tries to play quick. You know, push the ball, push the pace. That’s why when you miss the shot, you try to be able to get back and stop transition baskets. That can be the difference made some times during the season.”"

Of course, one of the more interesting aspects of Ilyasova offering his perspective on that subject is the fact he’s particularly gifted as an offensive rebounder, relative to his size. Having played under Budenholzer in his time with the Hawks, the idea of a more disciplined defensive approach in transition will by no means be unfamiliar to the Turkish veteran, though.

With so much set to change with the team’s previously broken defensive scheme, some sense of continuity will likely help a Bucks’ team who look to already have leaned into such an approach with transition defense over the past two years.

Beyond that, the obvious hope will be that a more fluid and effective offense will also reduce the need for any kind of over reliance on picking up points off scraps around the paint. Whether that becomes a reality remains to be seen, but the hard work for Budenholzer’s Bucks is now officially underway.