Milwaukee Bucks: 3 reasons for optimism after the 2022 All-Star break

Reason No. 2 – The Milwaukee Bucks are generating great looks offensively

Process over results. If you continue to get good looks consistently, good things will happen in the long run, and that is what the Bucks are doing.

Per NBA.com, the Bucks are generating almost 21 “wide-open” 3-point attempts per game this season (shots with no defender within six feet), which is the 2nd most in the entire league. However, they are just 15th at converting those wide open attempts (37.7 percent).

So why would that percentage increase? Well, Donte DiVincenzo, Semi Ojeleye, and Rodney Hood did not help that percentage, as they combined to shoot just 35-for-123 on wide-open threes (28.5 percent). With them now gone, if you took their shooting away, the Bucks are at 38.7 percent on wide-open threes, which would put them top 10 in the league.

DiVincenzo was attempting the 2nd most wide-open threes per game on the team, and without him, it should give more looks to the Bucks’ better wide-open shooters, such as Bobby Portis (45.8 percent on wide-open threes), Khris Middleton (43.4 percent), Wesley Matthews (42.1 percent), Grayson Allen (40.5 percent), and Jrue Holiday (40.4 percent).

The Bucks seem to be winning the shot quality battle on both ends of the court, too. According to shotquality.com, the Bucks are sixth in the NBA this season in Adjusted Shot Quality Differential, which represents the difference between the quality of looks a team is getting and the quality of looks they are allowing. According to the site, Milwaukee is sixth in Adjusted Offensive Shot Quality generated, and fifth in Adjusted Defensive Shot Quality allowed. The only other teams that are top six both offensively and defensively are the Suns and Jazz.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is generating as many good looks as ever for this team, and if the Milwaukee Bucks continue to win the shot quality battle, the results will come.