The Milwaukee Bucks are off to a 6-8 start this season.
As many fans are aware, injuries have played a big factor in that. One of the players that the team has been missing in their beginning of the season slump is starting center Brook Lopez. The rough stretch has started to show why Lopez means so much to the Bucks.
Rough start to season shows Brook Lopez’s importance to the Milwaukee Bucks
While Lopez may not be the first player that comes to mind when thinking about the Bucks, he may be up there in terms of importance. The Bucks have struggled to find a player to fill the shoes of Lopez. Missing Lopez has caused the Bucks to come up with some unique plans to try to fill the void at the center position.
One player that the Bucks have tried at center is Thanasis Antetokounmpo. Unfortunately, the center position is about more than just the hustle and energy that Thanasis brings. For NBA standards, Thanasis doesn’t have a frame that fits in with that of what a traditional center brings. A small frame mixed in with Thanasis’ inability to stay disciplined and not commit fouls has not been a recipe for success at the center position so far.
The reason why the Bucks used Thanasis at center was because of Bobby Portis missing a few games early in the season with a hamstring injury. The Bucks have tried to use Portis as their big since his return, and the results haven’t helped the team as much as they would have liked. Even though Portis can keep up with the other bigs in terms of his offensive ability, his defense isn’t at a good enough level to be a full-time big. Portis does give a tremendous amount of effort on the defensive end, but he isn’t the best at defensive positioning and boxing out. He has been at his best in his time in Milwaukee when he is paired with Giannis Antetokounmpo or Lopez.
When Portis needs a breather, Milwaukee has turned to Giannis Antetokounmpo to play at center. Even though it has been an effective strategy for the Bucks previously, it has not seen the same results this season. Giannis is phenomenal at taking advantage of mismatches on the offensive side, but he very rarely boxes out, and that is something that players at the center position have to do. Giannis thrives being a more versatile player that can be switched on defense, rather than playing at a specific position, such as center.
The Bucks have struggled the most without Lopez in the rebounding department. Since Lopez arrived in Milwaukee in the 2018-2019 season, the Bucks have been a tremendous rebounding team. The Bucks have ranked in the top five in team rebounding in each season since Lopez’s arrival. With Lopez missing all but one game so far this season, the team has seen their rebounding numbers plummet, all the way down to 23rd in the league.
As Milwaukee has struggled early on this season, fans have started to open their eyes to how important of a piece Lopez is on this team. He has been an excellent defensive anchor for the last few years and having him to protect the paint has made all of the other defenders better. The team has been very vague when providing updates on Lopez, but we should all hope that he returns as soon as possible.
Stay tuned for the latest updates on the big man.