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Milwaukee Bucks: 3 stats that should provide optimism early in the season

By Nathan Marzion

Nov 9, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Grayson Allen (7) reacts with center Bobby Portis (9) after scoring against the Philadelphia 76ers during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 9, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Grayson Allen (7) reacts with center Bobby Portis (9) after scoring against the Philadelphia 76ers during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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Milwaukee Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Mike Budenholzer
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – OCTOBER 31 (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) /

We are now close to one month into the 2021-22 NBA season, and it hasn’t been a fantastic start for the Milwaukee Bucks.

They are currently sitting at 6-6 and are 8th in the Eastern Conference standings. They are yet to play a game fully healthy, as key players (Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday, Brook Lopez) have missed a lot of time. Even with all of the injuries, here are three stats that should provide some optimism for the rest of the season.

Stat No. 1 – The Milwaukee Bucks are attempting the most “wide open” threes per game in the NBA

NBA.com defines a “wide open” three as one where there is no defender within six feet of the shooter. According to them, the Bucks are attempting 22.2 wide-open threes per game, which is tops in the league. They are only 19th in converting those attempts (36.5 percent), which is a big reason for some of their losses this season, but the open looks are there.

The Bucks have five players (Grayson Allen, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jordan Nwora, Pat Connaughton, and George Hill) who have attempted 20+ wide-open threes. Allen is actually number one in the entire league with a whopping 71 wide-open attempts (5.9 per game). The next closest player is at 54 attempts and 4.5 per game.

The attention that Giannis draws is leading to some incredibly good looks for shooters, and the percentage that they make should go up as the season progresses. New players like Allen and Semi Ojeleye have started to heat up as they’ve gotten more comfortable in the offense. In addition to this, the Bucks have been missing arguably their best shooter, Khris Middleton, for the last six games, and getting him back will help tremendously.

At this early stage in the season, it’s about the process over the results, and the Bucks are generating more open looks from three than any other team. Once those finally start to fall with any consistency, the Bucks will be a more dangerous team.

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