Milwaukee Bucks: Constructing an ideal playoff rotation

Milwaukee Bucks: Constructing an ideal playoff rotation – The starters

Creating a rotation from scratch is not an easy task with a lot of factors at play. I did my best to outline my thought process and methodology, but to be honest, there is plenty room for debate about how one should go about this and many ways to interpret of the available data.

In any case, after careful consideration, I ultimately came up with this framework for a ten-man playoff rotation based on the template formerly available at EarlyBirdRights.com:

Probably the least controversial or surprising aspect of the rotation is the starters. Fresh off a stellar regular season where the Bucks finished with the best record and point differential in the NBA, there’s no reason to change what’s been working all along.

In fact, the Bucks’ starters rank second in the league among five-man units that have played at least 200 minutes together with a net rating of +18.9, trailing only (and surprisingly) a Phoenix Suns lineup.

With such strong chemistry together, it was important for me to have that unit see the floor as much as possible in a playoff rotation. As a result, I ensured all five starters would see the floor together for 16 minutes per game while also allowing the opportunity to stagger their minutes with bench units.

The starters will also function as the closing group in most cases, unless the circumstances in a particular game dictate a different course of action.

For example, another option could include Donte DiVincenzo in the place of Wes Matthews if he’s having a great game, as this lineup outscores opponents 22.0 points per 100 possessions in a smaller sample of time played together. Alternatively, if another team goes small and Brook Lopez struggles to defend a quicker center, the Bucks could move Giannis to the five and insert an additional wing or forward from the bench like Pat Connaughton or Marvin Williams.

For the sake of this general framework, however, I think the starters are more than capable of finishing games in most scenarios.