Milwaukee Bucks: 3 reasons not to be worried about the slow start

Reason No. 2 – The Milwaukee Bucks are getting a lot of open shots

This seems to happen almost every year, but the Bucks are actually getting a ton of good looks, they just aren’t hitting them. They are currently attempting the third most “wide open” threes per game in the entire NBA (20.6), but are dead last in converting those attempts (29.9 percent). In terms of overall shot quality, they are sixth in the league in Adjusted Offensive Shot Quality, according to Shot Quality.

Giannis has been drawing more attention than ever this season (especially with Jrue out), and he has generated an abundance of good looks for teammates. The main beneficiary has been Grayson Allen, who has attempted a league-leading 40 “wide open” threes (5.7 per game) so far this season. Allen is shooting just 32.5 percent on wide-open threes, but he made 42.3 percent last season and 43.3 percent the year before, so that number should go up at some point. Other players struggling on wide-open 3-pointers are Nwora (6-of-17), Connaughton (4-of-17), Ojeleye (0-of-8), and Middleton (0-for-4). All four of these players are typically good shooters, and these percentages are unlikely to stay this low.

It is safe to assume that there will be some positive regression coming and the team won’t continue to shoot below 30 percent on wide-open threes. Ultimately, at this early stage of the season, it is more important to look at how many open looks they are getting rather than how many they are making. As long as they continue to generate open looks for good shooters, the makes should come.