Milwaukee Bucks: 3 players on the bubble of playoff rotation

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - NOVEMBER 16: Ersan Ilyasova #7 of the Milwaukee Bucks is help up by his teammates in the game against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on November 16, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /

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MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – FEBRUARY 28: (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

Robin Lopez

All throughout the 2019-20 season, Robin Lopez has done a very serviceable job backing up his twin brother, Brook, in the Bucks’ rotation.

He’s been key in giving the Bucks another rock solid rim protector to maintain their top-ranked defense when they go into bench units and has increasingly mastered his shooting stroke to extend from 3-point range. After going 3-for-6 from three in the Bucks’ recent loss to the Denver Nuggets, Lopez is 13-for-25 from that range since the All-Star break and shooting 34.4 percent from deep on the season.

The 31-year-old has done exactly what’s been asked of him since he signed a two-year deal with the Bucks over the summer to reunite and play alongside Brook for the first time since college.

So, while his form is arguably the best it’s been at this point over the course of the season, the inescapable reality for Lopez is that his potential run in the playoffs could be rendered matchup dependent, and tied to how often Budenholzer will elect to play small ball lineups as he has increasingly done since Williams’ arrival.

That’s through no fault of Lopez’s and he’s taken all of the changes he’s had with his role in his first season in Milwaukee in stride. But depending on what the Bucks’ playoff opponents will do to put their best lineup configurations out there, Lopez may very well be out of the center rotation on most nights come playoff time.

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