Milwaukee Bucks: 5 free agent centers they should contemplate bringing in

The Milwaukee Bucks have a glaring hole at the center position just nine games into the 2021-22 NBA season.

This is due to the fact that starting center Brook Lopez has played in just one game thus far as he has battled through back soreness. Having missed the last eight consecutive games, the big man has already missed six more games than he did all of last season. At 33-years-old, soon to be 34, Lopez is not a spring chicken at this stage in his career, and this lingering back soreness is surely an issue that has fans worried. It does not help that Bobby Portis, Milwaukee’s backup five, has also been sidelined for five games this year due to injury. Portis is back now in the rotation now but has struggled to find his footing in his return to action over his four games this season.

These injuries to the frontcourt have forced Giannis Antetokounmpo to play 80 percent of his minutes this season at center. For reference, he played just 12 percent of his minutes at center during the entirety of the 2020-21 regular season. While Antetokounmpo at the five is a solid strategy at times – see several instances in Milwaukee’s title run – it is not sustainable over the course of an 82-game regular season. That is undeniably not a knock on Antetokounmpo, as he continues to have yet another dominant season, but the team could certainly use a true center as they wait on a return for Lopez.

The Milwaukee Bucks are struggling without Brook Lopez this season

While the eye test is enough to come to the conclusion that the Bucks could use another big body down low, the numbers are concrete evidence. Rebounding was a strong suit for the Bucks last year as they hauled in the second-most boards per game, but they have plummeted all the way down to 18th throughout nine games in 2021-22. They have also missed Lopez’s defense on the interior, as they are 16th in opponents’ points in the paint this year, according to NBA.com/stats. For reference, they were third in that department last year, as this team has always focused on protecting the rim at a high level. Without Lopez, that has been a struggle.

These issues have led many to believe that the Bucks should bring in another center to fill the void until Lopez is cleared to return. The team does indeed have an open roster spot, but it seems as if the team might try to keep that open for the time being, considering their financial situation. Still, if there were ever a time to utilize that spot, it would be while Lopez is sidelined with no timetable to return for the champs. There would be some financial hoops to leap through for the Bucks, but GM Jon Horst has shown in the past that he is always looking for ways to improve this roster by any means. Adding a solid center would fall into that category.

With all that being said, let us look at five free agents they should at least consider taking a look at as this problem at the center position persists.