Become league average three-point shooter
As one of the leading examples of traditional big men overhauling their game to step back from beyond the three-point line, Lopez’s personal three-point revolution has suited him well in both Brooklyn and Los Angeles.
Over the last two seasons, Lopez has connected on 34.5 percent of his 712 three-point attempts. A respectable rate on a high volume of looks, Lopez has grown well accustomed to spacing the floor after previously taking 31 three-point shots before the 2016-17 season.
Digging into his shot selection from beyond the arc, the majority of his attempts from long distance have come from both above the break spots where he made 33.1 percent of his 332 attempts in 16-17 and 32.6 percent his 282 attempts in 17-18 from that spot on the court, per NBA.com/stats.
While all Bucks fans would like to see an uptick in Lopez’s percentages from his favorite spots beyond the arc, the value of what he’ll be providing to the team can’t be lost here.
All of this goes to say that if Lopez’s overall three-point services can improve to league average or higher, it would do wonders for a Bucks team that is looking to excel in that department under Coach Bud. Last year, the league’s average three-point percentage came in at 36.2 percent, per Basketball-Reference.com.
That isn’t a much higher bar to match or clear and Lopez will certainly have a high volume of opportunities to reach that mark throughout the season.