With an eventful 2020 in the rearview, the Milwaukee Bucks will have to improve in several areas with big aspirations for 2021.
To say that it was an eventful 2020 for the Milwaukee Bucks would be an understatement.
Although the Bucks fell short of an NBA title for the second consecutive season, they made a handful of memories along the way, the most memorable being Giannis Antetokounmpo’s supermax extension. Other standouts include Milwaukee’s Game 5 walkout against the Orlando Magic, the Jrue Holiday trade, and the Bogdan Bogdanovic fiasco, which all headline what was a year unlike any other for the Bucks.
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Now, they will have to put this crazy year behind them as they enter the New Year with a 2-3 record throughout their first five games of the 2020-21 season.
It has been far from smooth sailing for Milwaukee, and they will surely look to start the year off strong. With that in mind, here are New Year’s resolutions for each of the starters.
Brook Lopez – Maintain defensive excellence
Since joining the Bucks two seasons ago, Brook Lopez has played a pivotal role in the team’s success. Offensively, the center has his inconsistencies, but he makes his impact felt mostly on the other end. Defensively, Lopez has anchored the Bucks’ top-tier defense nightly, serving as a pivotal piece to their success on that side of the ball.
Having averaged a career 2.4 blocks per game last season, Lopez earned himself All-Defensive second team honors, a testament to his efforts on the league’s best defensive team. Although teammate Giannis Antetokounmpo took home Defensive Player of the Year honors, there was a case to be made that Lopez should have been a more prominent name in the discussion.
This season, Lopez has started strong on that side of the ball once again. The Bucks currently rank third-best in the league at opponent points in the paint, coming in at just 39.6 per game. The big man’s sizeable presence is a substantial reason for that, and Milwaukee will need him to keep up his efforts consistently against opposing offenses.