Milwaukee Bucks: The importance of Bryn Forbes’ sharpshooting

As he continues to find his rhythm with the Milwaukee Bucks, Bryn Forbes’ sharpshooting ability could be key as the season goes along.

The Milwaukee Bucks know that having such star players like Giannis Antetokounmpo have never created more gravity in this pace and space era of the NBA.

So it made sense for the Bucks to chase a sharpshooter and valuable floor spacer like Bryn Forbes in free agency as they signed him to a two-year, $4.7 million deal over the offseason.

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Given the glut of young and promising backcourt pieces Forbes’ former team, the San Antonio Spurs, had, it opened the door for the 27-year-old to land in Milwaukee and give them a dose of much-needed shotmaking.

To this point in the Bucks’ run, Forbes has had mixed results as he finds his rhythm playing with a whole new set of teammates. In his 10 appearances on the year, Forbes is averaging 7.1 points on .435/.368/.429 shooting splits, a rebounds and 0.2 assists across 17.2 minutes per game.

There’s clearly more room for Forbes to grow in his role to bring instant offense and continuing to find the chemistry that he’s been building with someone like Antetokounmpo will continue to be crucial. Per NBA.com/stats, 78 of Forbes’ 172 total minutes on the court this season have come with Antetokounmpo on the floor and the Bucks are outscoring their opponents by +9.0 points per 100 possessions.

Playing with ball-dominant creators like Antetokounmpo or even Bucks All-Star forward Khris Middleton gives the Michigan State product license to find plenty of space to let it fly as opponents direct their attention to the Bucks’ stars.

Bryn Forbes’ proven shot making could give the Milwaukee Bucks the deadeye shooter they’ll need when the postseason rolls around.

After the Bucks had gone through plenty of roster turnover, all of their new additions will have to provide valuable contributions around the Bucks’ established core. And it’s clear that through nearly the first three weeks of the Bucks’ season, the added shooting and offensive talent has done wonders for a Bucks offense that has faltered at the biggest moments over the Budenholzer era.

Being a career 39.9 percent 3-point shooter, Forbes gives the Bucks the kind of off-ball shooter role that they saw Kyle Korver occupy last season. Forbes is certainly not one of the most lethal and prolific shooters in league history, but he has shown to be effective in his limited playoff appearances over his NBA career.

That was best seen on the Spurs’ hard fought first round series against the Denver Nuggets in the 2018-19 season where Forbes went on to average 10.7 points while shooting 12-for-25 from three (48.4 percent), 3.6 rebounds and an assist over 30.3 minutes per contest.

While Forbes is a very limited defender due to his size and athletic disadvantages, he will have to grow more comfortable maneuvering around screens to hold his own on that side of the ball.

In our first glimpses, Forbes has been very confident with his shooting stroke and ability to fire well behind the 3-point line. The Bucks have continued to prize their shooting ability from their patented blue quadrants and are shooting a league-leading 42.9 percent on threes taken from 25 to 29 feet. While there have been some ups and downs, Forbes has certainly contributed to that pedigree of sharpshooting.

Now as the Bucks look to maintain their hot offensive start to the season, Forbes can potentially emerge as the lethal shooting specialist that Bucks general manager Jon Horst and his front office have pegged him to be on this year’s team.