Milwaukee Bucks: 3 questions before facing off against Atlanta Hawks
By Dalton Sell
Can the Milwaukee Bucks find a groove with their 3-point shooting against the Atlanta Hawks?
Despite their struggles offensively this season, the Bucks have made the most 3-pointers among any team this season with 191. Prolific outside shooting is nothing new for Milwaukee as they are well-known for letting it fly, and they must look to keep the ball rolling against this Atlanta team.
Atlanta’s opponents have hit a combined 174 triples throughout 13 games, the seventh-most in the entire association. Despite this, the Hawks have a solid group of wing defenders, including Cam Reddish, De’Andre Hunter, and even Bogdan Bogdanovic, who will all aim to make it tough for Milwaukee’s shooters. The Bucks will have to continue that trend from Atlanta’s opponents and establish a rhythm with their outside shooting against this Hawks team in tonight’s game.
When it comes to 3-point shooting, Grayson Allen is the first name that comes to mind lately. The newcomer has been a fantastic addition to the Bucks this season, and he is currently letting it fly with the utmost confidence by shooting 43 percent from deep on 8.8 attempts a night. His most recent outing was outstanding as Allen shot 5-of-9 from three, including a game-tying triple to send the game to overtime. The Bucks will need him to pick up right where he left off in his last game, and it could be challenging due to the defensive personnel.
Two other names worth monitoring in that department will be Jrue Holiday and Pat Connaughton. Holiday had been shooting the basketball relatively well this season, but he was downright awful in the loss to Boston by shooting a gruesome 1-of-12 from long range. He is a far better shooter than that and will look to prove it against Atlanta. As for Connaughton, he has been shooting the ball better than ever before this season. He erupted for a new career-high seven 3-pointers at Madison Square Garden in a 112-100 win over the New York Knicks recently, and he will be an important piece against this Hawks team due to that shooting.
If the Bucks can find their stride from 3-point range, they will be in much better shape against this Hawks team.