Through the help of their superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Milwaukee Bucks have increased their trips to the free throw line to start the 2019-20 NBA season.
When it comes to evaluating all aspects of the Milwaukee Bucks’ start to the 2019-20 season, it’s hard to resist comparing them to the standard they set last year.
And there have been subtle changes or differences that we can gleam from how this year’s Bucks squad matches up to the level and variety of play last year’s team played with throughout their run during the 2018-19 season, especially on the offensive end.
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This year’s Bucks team is launching more three-pointers than they did throughout all of last year, rising from 38.2 three-point attempts per game last season to 41.2 three-point attempts per contest 11 games into their 2019-20 run.
That’s not too much of a surprise, given the three-point laden additions they made over the offseason between Wesley Matthews and Kyle Korver, though the Bucks have yet to display consistency shooting the ball from range as they rank 19th in three-point percentage.
As a result of putting up more threes this season, the Bucks have seen their shot attempts taken within the restricted area drop from the second-most attempts per game during 2018-19 to middle of the pack at 16th so far this year, per NBA.com/stats. What’s astounding is that despite that drop-off, the Bucks are leading the league by converting 71 percent of their looks from that area of the floor.
Although the Bucks are still striving to maintain the offensive balance they sported extensively last season, there’s been one dramatic improvement they’ve shown so far this year that hasn’t gotten nearly enough attention.
The Bucks are making more trips to the free throw line so far into 2019-20 where they’re averaging the second-most free throw attempts per game (27.5) and stand behind only the Houston Rockets in that department. That comes after the Bucks averaged 23.2 free throw attempts per game as a collective in 2018-19.
For a clearer picture on how big this jump has been, the Bucks’ free throw attempt rate stood at 25.5 percent last season, a mark that ranked them 18th in the league. This year, the Bucks’ free throw attempt rate comes in at 30.1 percent, which currently places them sixth in the NBA.
The timing of this is important to note, especially after the Bucks nearly attempted twice as many free throws in their 124-115 win over the Chicago Bulls Thursday night. It certainly helps to have a superstar and relentless attacker of the basket like superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is averaging the second-most free throw attempts per game (11.8), behind Houston Rockets guard James Harden.
It’s also why Antetokounmpo’s current free throw shooting deficiencies are a big concern as it relates to his early season play as he’s on track for a career-worst 63.1 percent from the charity stripe to start his 2019-20 campaign. Antetokounmpo’s expert attacking of the basket and incredibly physical style of play tilts things in the Bucks’ favors more often than not with the way he’s officiated on a nightly basis.
Also worth noting is Eric Bledsoe‘s 79.5 free throw percentage is a noticeable uptick on the 75 percent he shot from the foul line over last year. The former Wildcat has certainly sported an improved shooting stroke on such occasions, yet it hasn’t translated to three-point range where Bledsoe is hitting 28.8 percent of his 52 three-point attempts this season.
Overall, the Bucks being able to record more trips to the free throw line does mitigate some of the losses they’ve felt in their offensive attack when it comes to their work inside the arc and directly at the hoop. We’ll just see if they’ll be able to maintain this beyond their first three weeks into this season.