Milwaukee Bucks: 3 lessons from loss to Los Angeles Lakers
By Adam McGee
Countering the Lakers’ size
When the Bucks decided to add Marvin Williams as a free agent signing in recent weeks, there were plenty of comments to the effect of how he would allow them to play small without actually sacrificing size.
That sentiment is certainly true against most opponents the Bucks could come up against, but the Lakers are a different kind of beast.
The Bucks found themselves in a very physical tussle in Los Angeles on Friday, and in the rare position of frequently being the smaller team across a majority of lineups over the course of the night.
That undoubtedly also played into the Bucks, the league’s No.1 ranked rebounding team, losing that particular battle by seven boards.
Perhaps more significantly, though, with Brook Lopez landing in foul trouble, and Robin Lopez struggling, the Bucks were outmatched in terms of size for much of the second half. On the offensive end, there were moments where they could use that to their advantage, but defensively it certainly added an extra layer of vulnerability.
Outside of traditional big men such as JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard, the Lakers can maintain center size with considerable skill by playing Anthony Davis at the 5, while also playing two of the trio of LeBron James, Markieff Morris, and Kyle Kuzma at the forward positions.
In addition to height, that is a notably bulky group of bigs, which excluding the traditional centers is also made up of capable shooters. In other words, where Middleton and Williams can handle most 4s around the league, and even some 5s in the latter’s case, that is a more grueling physical proposition against the Lakers.
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Beyond the possession to possession, matchup dynamic that creates, that physical toll must also be accounted for if the two teams were to meet in the Finals and go head-to-head over the course of a lengthy series. Brook remaining out of foul trouble could become increasingly important in such a scenario, as could getting some share of quality minutes from Robin.