Milwaukee Bucks: Ranking the 5 best shot blockers on the 2021-22 roster

Ranking the best shot blockers on the Milwaukee Bucks: No. 2 – Brook Lopez

For as great as Holiday is, there is a big gap between him and our number two ranked shot-blocker, Brook Lopez. That’s going to happen when you’re talking about a 6’4″ guard and a 7’0″ center, but Lopez has become a shot-blocking monster.

Let’s not forget what Lopez did in terms of blocking shots before his arrival with the Bucks, however. In 639 games with the New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers, Lopez averaged 1.7 blocks per game which is over 1,000 total blocks. He had a very good 4.2 percent block rate, well above average for his position, but it wasn’t until he met Budenholzer when things took off.

In three seasons as a Buck so far, Lopez has averaged right around two blocks in 219 games. In his first two seasons, he averaged well over two blocks a night, but this past season was more in line with his career average due to the Bucks experimenting with defensive philosophies. Per 36 minutes, Lopez averaged three blocks per game in his first two Bucks seasons.

Since joining the Bucks, he has routinely led the league in contested shots at the rim and posted another strong season with a 49.3 percent defensive field goal percentage on shots less than six feet. Lopez has always been credited as being a smart defender, but we’ve seen him at his peak with the Bucks.

Ranking the best shot blockers on the Milwaukee Bucks: No. 1 – Giannis Antetokounmpo

Although Giannis Antetokounmpo may not have the huge shot-blocking numbers that Lopez does, he is still the absolute best at this skill on the team. While Lopez’s primary objective is the stand back and block shots at the rim, Antetokounmpo’s role as a rover on defense doesn’t always allow him to be in a position to block everything like Lopez, he has to be more instinctual and fly in for help-side blocks.

Still, Antetokounmpo has averaged 1.3 blocks in his career, and his 3.4 percent block rate in his career is very high for forwards but would be lower if you consider him a big. Regardless of the actual production, Antetokounmpo’s instincts and timing are some of the best in the league for blocking shots, especially as a help-side defender.

His shot-blocking ability was one of the primary reasons why he won his Defensive Player of the Year award in 2019-20, and he held a ridiculous 41.9 percent defensive field goal percentage on shots less than six feet that year.

He wants to contest anything and everything, which can sometimes be to his detriment, and winds up getting him postered but can also lead to magical moments like this, and he has some of the flashiest blocks you’ll see.

If there’s one thing we know for sure about the Milwaukee Bucks heading into next season, it’s that they’ll always be making life difficult for opposing players at the rim.