Milwaukee Bucks: Get to know center Robin Lopez

Play style

On the surface, many could be forgiven for underestimating Robin Lopez’s game, especially with the recent evolutions at the center position in the NBA.

He’s not the quickest or most athletic, particularly at this point in his career. He doesn’t stretch the floor like his brother Brook, nor would you describe him as an obvious center for any kind of switching scheme.

Combining his exceptional feel for the game, high-intensity approach, and the natural gifts he does have (i.e. size and length), Lopez remains an incredibly impactful player whose capable of leaving his mark on both ends of the floor, though.

Offensively, Lopez isn’t going to create his own offense, but by the same token, nor will he require too many touches to stay involved. If a ball breaks loose off the rim, Lopez is one of the greatest threats in the NBA to tip it in. If the ball comes to him in one of his favorite spots in the low post, he’ll have no problem shooting it, and will very likely make it.

Lopez shot 68.6 percent from inside the restricted area last season, and part of that comes from his ability to make more difficult shots such as tip-ins and hooks at an above average rate, in addition to cleaning up with simple layups and dunks.

Robin’s hook is likely one of the more underrated shots among role players in the NBA, although it’s been in his arsenal and falling efficiently for years. During his time playing alongside Robin with the Knicks, Carmelo Anthony remarked of Lopez’s hook shot:

"“Can’t be blocked. Haven’t seen anybody block it yet.”"

Another element of Lopez’s offensive game that has earned rave reviews from teammates over the years is his screening. Unlike many big men who set dead and static screens, Lopez arrives to set his picks with the kind of energy and momentum that’s typical of the rest of his game. This makes Lopez incredibly useful in opening up space for shooters, but also in clearing a path for skilled drivers to get to the rim.

The latter became particularly relevant as Lopez and Zach LaVine developed strong chemistry late last season in Chicago. Speaking to Sam Smith of Bulls.com, LaVine said of Lopez:

"“Great screener. I know if I get downhill (going toward the basket) and they are doubling me I have a reliable guy who can catch it and score, a seven footer, fake someone four or five times and put it in the cup. The chemistry with Robin is off the charts. He’s the best screener I’ve ever had. He’s a vet, does everything right, tries hard on defense, makes up for our mistakes.”"

Lopez’s understanding of how to use his body extends far beyond his screening, and is perhaps most frequently associated with the positive effect he has on team rebounding. In recent years, the impact of Robin’s ability to box-out has been magnified significantly, perhaps most notably in a fascinating episode of Rob Mahoney’s Breakaway podcast for Sports Illustrated.

It’s also true that Brook possesses a very similar ability, which helped to thrust the Bucks from years as one of the NBA’s worst rebounding teams, to leading the league in rebounds per game last season.

In 2017, Ben Falk took an in-depth look at this particular skill of the Lopez brothers’ for his site Cleaning the Glass, shining particular emphasis on Robin.

"“Lopez is one of the league’s best defensive rebounders, in the very literal sense: while he may not get the rebound himself, he is fantastic at defending the glass. He takes the approach that the goal is not for the individual to get the rebound, but for the team. The Bulls are the league’s best defensive rebounding team, and they are much better on the defensive glass with Lopez on the court than when he sits — something which has been true in every season but one of Lopez’s career.”"

That base of helping his teams to become elite on the defensive boards is only the beginning of Lopez’s impact on that end, though.

Robin possesses excellent positioning, which allows him to make countless important plays as a help defender, while also performing better on switches than most would imagine based on his size. Robin is excellent at judging just how far up the floor he should push while still being able to recover, meaning even against much quicker opponents he often finds ways to hold his own. Again, this is another trait that can be identified in his brother Brook’s play in Milwaukee last season.

Much more simply, though, Robin takes great pride in blocking shots and his excellent instincts when it comes to protecting the rim. Across the course of his career, Lopez has averaged an impressive 1.2 blocks per game/1.9 rejections per 36 minutes. That will make him a formidable opponent when he finds himself sharing the court with Giannis Antetokounmpo, while his generally strong sense of positioning should also make him a perfect fit for Milwaukee’s dropping defensive scheme.