Milwaukee Bucks: Bryn Forbes is filling valuable role this season
By Dan Larsen
It’s been clear to see that Bryn Forbes has been making an offensive impact for the Milwaukee Bucks so far this season.
As the Bucks’ offense has clearly leveled up on that end of the floor, Forbes has been one of the many newcomers that has greatly affected the Bucks’ offensive output during this 2020-21 season. And no department has seen a greater jump than how the Bucks have shot from long distance this year.
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Even after what was a down shooting performance in their loss to the Utah Jazz Friday night, the Bucks are hitting the second-highest 3-point percentage in the league at 40.1 percent on 38.2 3-point attempts per game.
That’s a healthy jump from the 35.5 percent clip the Bucks hit on their threes over the course of the 2019-20 season and Forbes’ sharpshooting has played an integral part in raising the Bucks’ firepower from long distance.
Over his 26 appearances on the year, Forbes is averaging 9.2 points while shooting .494/.481/.706 in just 17.5 minutes per contest.
Bryn Forbes has been a spark plug for the Milwaukee Bucks this season.
When Forbes has been shooting the ball the way he has for the Bucks this season, bringing instant offense comes with the territory.
Per NBA.com/stats, Forbes is shooting a ridiculous 50 percent on his 92 catch-and-shoot 3-point attempts this season. That’s certainly helped him lead all Bucks rotation regulars in 3-point percentage so far and it’s brought a different dimension in how the Bucks have ascended to become the best offense in the NBA.
To that point, Forbes is averaging 1.52 points per possession in transition so far, which ranks in the 93rd percentile of players. The 27-year-old’s effortless stroke has been made him a perfect spot up target for any of the Bucks’ leading focal points, specifically superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The overall impact that Forbes has had over his 456 total minutes this season has resulted in the Bucks averaging 117 points per 100 possessions, which is down from their 119.2 offensive rating on the year.
While that may be so, three of Milwaukee’s best five man lineups that have played at least ten minutes together include Forbes. When those minutes are moved up to only lineups that have played 20 or more minutes together, he appears in the Bucks’ two best offensive lineups (those are also the team’s second and fourth-best lineups by net rating too).
As we’re seeing over this stretch of games where he’s been filling in for Jrue Holiday in the Bucks’ starting lineup, Forbes’ play has been elevated when he shares the court with the likes of Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and so on. And it’s informed the run he’s been on as of late, his 5-point outing against the Jazz notwithstanding.
Considering the valuable deal he signed to over the offseason, Forbes has stepped right into the sharpshooting specialist role the Bucks needed this season. That, in turn, has only fortified the team’s offensive output in the growing minutes he’s had in their run so far.
Next. 3 Bucks that need to step up in Jrue Holiday’s absence. dark
With that in mind, Forbes’s shooting skills are exactly what the Bucks need to overcome their offense faltering in the postseason. We’ll see if he can continue to make a major impact in the weeks and months ahead.