Milwaukee Bucks: Panic or patience for 3 concerning stats so far

The Milwaukee Bucks are in the bottom three of the league in rebounding rate

Perhaps the most concerning figure in Bucks land right now is that the team is getting consistently out-rebounded by their opponents to begin the season. They rank in the bottom three of the league in rebounding rate through six games and have struggled to contain certain players on the offensive glass.

A large reason for this (no pun intended) is that they have been without Brook Lopez for their last five games after he played on opening night against the Brooklyn Nets. The big man has been hampered by back soreness that seems as if it will hold him out for the near future.

Not having that big body to pick up extra guys on box-outs has led to some ugly rebounding numbers and has the Bucks near the bottom of the league for a stat that they typically excel at. Lopez may not put up gaudy individual rebound numbers, but he’s great at boxing out and letting a player like Antetokounmpo or Jrue Holiday grab the rebound and push the ball off a missed shot.

While I believe individual rebound numbers are a bit overrated (look at Lopez as an example), team rebounding numbers are important, especially if a team is notably good or bad at it. It creates transition opportunities from missed shots or extra possessions on offense. The Bucks haven’t been able to get as many of either so far this season without Lopez.

I don’t believe it’s time to panic about these numbers seeing as they’ve been without Lopez for most of the season, but it’s slightly concerning that one player is the pin that holds their team rebounding together and if he’s not there, they collapse and turn into one of the worst rebounding teams in the league. Depth in the frontcourt was something I wondered could be a hindrance to them this season and early on, it has been.

Verdict: Tentative patience