The Milwaukee Bucks have been clicking on offense this season, currently holding the best offensive rating in the entire association.
While they have been thriving as a unit, one individual that has endured his share of struggles early on is Brook Lopez. Playing alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday, and Khris Middleton, Lopez will not be the focal point of the offense. Still, he has faced the challenge of adapting to this lesser role with the ball in his hands.
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The big man had reached double-digit scoring in just three of Milwaukee’s first 12 games, certainly leaving something to be desired from him on the offensive end. Throughout the first dozen games, Lopez averaged just 9.2 points, shooting 45.4 percent from the floor and 33.3 percent from behind the arc.
These struggles offensively caused somewhat of a stir, and some questioned whether it might be time to start panicking about Milwaukee’s man in the middle. However, following the Bucks’ recent five-game stretch, Lopez has quieted that chatter for now.
After enduring some early struggles offensively, Brook Lopez has finally found some momentum offensively for the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Bucks have gone a modest 3-2 in their last five games, both losses coming at the hands of top contenders, which certainly stings. However, one thing to be optimistic about coming out of this stretch has been Lopez’s revamped play on offense.
Lopez averaged 14.2 points while shooting a much-improved 53.6 percent from the field and 41.3 percent from 3-point territory during this run, seemingly having flipped the switch offensively. This was certainly evident in Milwaukee’s 115-108 win over the Toronto Raptors Wednesday night, where Lopez pieced together his best performance of the season.
In 32 minutes of action, Lopez logged a season-high 20 points, shooting 8-of-11 from the field, including 2-of-3 from deep. The big man did a substantial amount of his damage on offense from inside the arc, and the Bucks needed every bucket as they won the contest by just seven points en-route to their 11th victory.
Milwaukee’s new offensive scheme has surely impacted how this team has played together early, but it seems that Brook Lopez is finally starting to figure things out. Following the Toronto game, Giannis Antetokounmpo was asked postgame about Brook’s recent play, to which he said:
"“He’s definitely finding his space. He’s definitely playing aggressive. I think we’re doing a good job of finding him too… We need him to be aggressive. We need him to get his rhythm, and he’s doing a great job. He’s a guy that’s always big defensively, so whenever you have the chance to feed him offensively, you’ve got to feed him. You’ve got to give him the ball. You’ve got to make him feel good.”"
Lopez has undoubtedly been feeling good lately, and as Antetokounmpo stated, the team will need him to continue being aggressive. Whether he is scoring from the perimeter or inside, Brook can turn the tide for the Bucks offensively when the shot is falling, and this recent stretch showcases it. Everyone knows what Lopez is capable of defensively, but his offense could very well be an X-factor for this team down the road this season.
Hopefully, the big man can sustain this recent promising play on the offensive end for the Milwaukee Bucks.