Milwaukee Bucks should consider running a more structured offense

If they want to give themselves a better chance at winning an NBA title, the Milwaukee Bucks should consider adding a bit more variety to their offense in the half court this season.

We’re only a few short weeks away from the start of another NBA season.

The Milwaukee Bucks will enter it as one of the odds on favorites to win the NBA Title. Right now, they have the third best odds to win it all, trailing only the L.A. Clippers and the Los Angeles Lakers. They’re also the favorites to make it out of the Eastern Conference this season.

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If the Bucks are going to get further in the playoffs this season than they did last spring, they’ll have to consider restructuring their half-court offense. Specifically, they’ll need to run a more structured offense in the half-court that’s designed to play to the specific strengths of the players on their roster.

The Milwaukee Bucks found a lot of success last season on the offensive-end of the ball, especially during the regular season. Much of that success derived from their new head coach, Mike Budenholzer, adapting a scheme that put a heavy emphasis on floor-spacing.

Milwaukee played an offense in the half-court that stressed having all five players starting an offensive possession behind the three point line. This was referred to as the “five-out offense,” one where there were “two in the corner, two in the angles and one at the top of the key.”

To have this scheme excel, Coach Budenholzer not only had the players adjust their sets depending on how the defense matched up, there was also an element of read and react style flexibility in letting players determine when and where to move in the half court. Thus, the Bucks were very reliant on their personnel improvising and making the right basketball decisions on any given possession for their half-court offense to work.

Using this semi-structured offense worked wonders during the regular season, especially against lesser opposition. Milwaukee’s five-out offense saw them take and make substantially more threes per game than they did the season prior. This opened up the floor for players like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Eric Bledsoe to get to the rim for easy baskets with greater frequency.

They also succeeded by playing at a much faster pace than the season prior. This opened up a lot of open looks in transition and semi-transition, getting them higher percentage shots before a defense could settle into the half-court.

Unfortunately for the Milwaukee Bucks, however, their lack of structure on offense in the half-court became a major problem in the Eastern Conference Finals when they ran into an elite defense in the Toronto Raptors.

Toronto did two things extremely well that crippled the Bucks’ effectiveness on offense. They controlled the pace of the series by taking their time on their offensive possessions, and by getting back in transition before Milwaukee could strike. This limited Milwaukee’s ability to get any easy points in transition, something they were heavily reliant on to be an efficient offense last season.

The Raptors also had a unique blend of athleticism and talent that allowed them to play more compact inside on defense, then close out on a shooter behind the three-point line if that player received the ball. Because players like Pascal Siakam could cheat off of their man and help inside, Antetokounmpo had no space to operate when he drove. Even if he found an open player, the Raptors forwards were quick enough to close out and prevent that player from taking a high percentage shot.

Milwaukee’s offense collapsed for significant stretches in games during the series, in large part, because of Toronto’s defensive approach. Because the Bucks had no alternate looks or approach to throw at them, they couldn’t find any way to get the Raptors’ defense out of their comfort zone. It was arguably the biggest reason why they lost the series.

Fortunately, the Milwaukee Bucks have had an off-season to work on these issues. In fact, they’ve brought in a few players who could help them run a more efficient and structured half-court offense than they did last season.

Robin Lopez is an excellent screen-setter both on and off-the-ball. He could be the person who’s used to set screens that open up space for shooters like Wesley Matthews, Kyle Korver, and George Hill behind the three point line.

Robin’s also a solid low-post scorer. He could be used as a safety valve or outlet late in the shot clock when things break down.

Kyle Korver is a fantastic shooter from deep, especially when he’s in motion prior to receiving the ball, and when coming off of screens. Running a few structured plays that lean into these strengths could give Milwaukee more open looks from deep than they had even last season.

Milwaukee also has a slew of players left over from last season who can also excel in half-court situations if their skills are utilized properly.

Khris Middleton is an excellent shot-creator for himself in the half-court. However, this was barely used by the Bucks in the playoffs. Running a more structured offense that gets him into more one-on-one isolation situations would be a great way to play up these skills and make him more efficient than he was last season. This is something they could put an emphasis on doing when Antetokounmpo is on the bench.

Brook Lopez is also a very good player in the low-post, but Milwaukee used him almost exclusively as a floor-spacer last year because he could hit threes at a high volume at a premium position. Though they should continue to tap into that skill, Milwaukee should also find ways to get Lopez the ball in favorable positions in the low-post. This could be done by trying to force defenses into switching smaller players on to him with better screens and movement off the ball.

Milwaukee’s general approach and philosophy on offense should still be used in the bulk of their possessions this coming season. However, they have to develop additional ways to create offense in the half-court if they’re going to prevent teams from doing what the Raptors did to them in the Eastern Conference Finals again.

Next. Milwaukee Bucks: Selecting an All-Decade roster. dark

Given their personnel, the Milwaukee Bucks should have no trouble being able to develop additional looks and options on that end this coming season.

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