Milwaukee Bucks: Examining the early returns in the transition game

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - NOVEMBER 04: (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - NOVEMBER 04: (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)

Nearly two weeks into their 2019-20 season, the Milwaukee Bucks have emphasized the transition game offensively more than they did last year. But it’s on the defensive end where some of their issues to start the season can be explained.

There’s been some early turbulence, but the Milwaukee Bucks have started to quell some of the concerns that came about from their inconsistent start to the 2019-20 season.

Currently being on a three-game winning streak will surely paper over the early cracks we’ve seen from the Bucks thus far and being able to maintain their run on the road against a tough slate of Western Conference opponents like the LA Clippers and the Utah Jazz is on the minds of all Bucks fans at this moment.

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Slowly but surely, though, the Bucks have started to resemble the team they were from last year and while some issues have yet to be resolved to hit the complete marks they set, some things haven’t changed year over year even with new faces in the mix for Milwaukee.

Take their play in transition for example, where the Bucks have emphasized playing with pace and getting out on the break even more than they did last season.

Per NBA.com/stats, 22.5 percent of the Bucks’ plays and scoring opportunities have come in transition this year, an uptick from the 21.5 percent mark they set during the 2018-19 season. And the Bucks are currently besting the efficiency they set last year by tallying 1.19 points per transition possession, which is good for sixth in the league (the Bucks finished 10th in that regard last season at 1.12 points per possession).

Along with that, the Bucks’ 19.6 fast break points currently stands 2nd in the NBA behind the San Antonio Spurs and accounts for 16.1 percent of their offensive output so far this season.

While that’s more of the same from how the Bucks have played under reigning NBA Coach of the Year Mike Budenholzer, it’s on the other end where the team has some work to do to limit the efficiency their opponents are getting from opportunities in the open floor.

You wouldn’t figure that as the Bucks have continued to get back on defense following misses, but they have shown some slippage in that regard, judging by the 15.1 percent of transition plays their opponents have collected through their first seven games. That’s down from the 13.7 percent mark they logged last year, which ranked third in the league behind the Orlando Magic and the Utah Jazz.

That slight jump has only meant bad business for the Bucks as their seven opponents so far have scored 1.21 points per possession in transition, tying for the fourth-worst mark in the league at this time. To add to that, the Bucks’ 12.6 opposing fast break points stands in the middle of the pack at 13th.

With all of this in mind, could the Bucks’ issues with their transition defense, or more so their opponents’ blistering efficiency in that area of the game, explain some of the discipline concerns they’ve had to start the year?

It has definitely contributed to that, but it’s also important to question the sustainability of the mark that the Bucks’ opponents have posted so far to start this season. The Bucks could definitely improve in this department as prizing transition defense has always been a hallmark of success for teams led by head coach Mike Budenholzer and the greater the sample size grows, opponents may have trouble to score at the same rate in transition.

We’ll just have to see if that pays off in the long run, but any strides the Bucks can make in getting back in transition will help them take on the form that they held on to for much of last season.