Despite finishing with the top-ranked defense last season after restructuring their scheme with the arrival of head coach Mike Budenholzer, the Milwaukee Bucks still proved to be susceptible to giving up a high amount of three-point looks.
After a few consecutive seasons underperforming on this end, the Milwaukee Bucks underwent a long overdue defensive revival throughout their 60-win season last year.
Spurred on by the arrival of head coach Mike Budenholzer and implemented due to the number of key personnel additions as well as subtractions last offseason, the Bucks became a highly imposing defensive unit that eventually finished as the top-ranked defense, per NBA.com/stats.
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Undergoing such a drastic turnaround was made easier by the caliber of defenders the Bucks already had between the likes of superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo and Eric Bledsoe, just to name a couple who both came away with All-Defensive First Team honors last year.
Even through all of the changes, though, one prominent hole stood in the Bucks’ calculated defensive gameplan and it came from beyond the three-point line as they surrendered the most opponent three-point looks last season.
As the entire NBA continues to launch three-point looks and uniformly space the floor even more than it did year after year, all of which has led to the offensive explosion progressing to even greater heights, it stood as a fascinating subplot within the Bucks’ defensive renaissance. In addition to giving up the highest volume of three-point tries, opponents shot 36.1 percent from long range when facing the Bucks, which ranked the Bucks 22nd in opponent three-point percentage.
All of this came after a season when the Bucks, under their previous coaching regime, and faulty defensive philosophy and execution, had finished 18th in defensive efficiency at 109.1 points per 100 possessions, given up the seventh-fewest amount of three-point looks, but opponents posted a 37.2 percent clip on such opportunities, good for 25th in the 2017-18 campaign.
Of course, the key in understanding how and why the Bucks were allowing the highest mark of opponent three-point attempts came down to shot selection and the areas of the floor they were willing to give up to teams around the league. After protecting the paint, specifically the basket at all costs, and letting opponents take what they can get from the mid-range, the Bucks made the bet on opponents not being able to outgun them from well beyond the arc.
That resulted in yielding the most three-pointers taken from above the break spots last season, mirroring the very same points on the floor where the Bucks looked to inflict their damage on opposing teams. Bucks opponents managed to connect on 35.1 percent of those looks, good for 18th in the league in that regard.
Taking on such a tactic and/or being willing to concede those long three-point looks made the Bucks susceptible when going against teams with star guards such as Steph Curry, Kyrie Irving, Damian Lillard and Kemba Walker (for those wondering, opposing teams collectively shot 37.5 percent on three-pointers taken off the dribble when facing the Bucks last year).
Delving deeper, Bucks opponents averaged 7.6 corner three-point attempts per game last season and those attempts went down for a 40.7 percent clip. Comparing that to the previous year, opponents attempted 6.1 corner three-point tries, but hit them at a slightly higher rate at 41.3 percent during the 17-18 season. Interestingly enough, that 17-18 Bucks team allowed the sixth-fewest amount of above the break three-point attempts that seasons and opponents shot 36.3 percent on those chances, ranking them 22nd in the NBA.
The great equalizer in all of this is just how staunch the Bucks were at defending the rim and both limiting opponents to the fewest attempts at the rim and the lowest opponent efficiency within the restricted area last year, and the work opponents did from mid-range did little to help them in that regard. And all of it was the grand design of Budenholzer and his coaching staff as their drop back defensive scheme unlocked the talents of Antetokounmpo, Bledsoe and starting big man Brook Lopez in particular.
Now whether he looks to deviate from the tenets of the Bucks’ defensive philosophy or is willing to deploy a more versatile scheme such as all-out switching will be an interesting question as it pertains to selling out to defend the three-point line. The reigning NBA Coach of the Year has shown himself to be a willing tinkerer from said principles, especially over the course of the Bucks’ playoff run last year.
While the Bucks have the personnel to showcase various defensive tactics next season, especially after some of the additions they made this offseason, there’s no need to completely reinvent the wheel. Whether they’ll be forced to is another question entirely as they look to reclaim their standing at the top of the NBA on that side of the floor.