Brook Lopez has found his footing at the right time for Milwaukee Bucks

It has unquestionably been a turbulent season for Brook Lopez to this point. After all, the big man went under the knife for back surgery following the Milwaukee Bucks’ season opener, which kept him sidelined for a significant portion of the 2021-22 regular season. Lopez eventually returned to the lineup on March 14 and has been regaining his footing ever since, especially as of late, as he is putting together an impressive stretch throughout April.

Assessing Brook Lopez’s strong play with the Milwaukee Bucks throughout April and why it is coming at the right time

In four games this month, Lopez has averaged 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in exactly 24 minutes per game. Those are some outstanding numbers from the big man, given what he has been through this season, and how he has gotten them is certainly captivating.

Offensively, Lopez has established a rhythm lately as he has shot 53.7 percent from the field on a hefty 13.5 attempts per contest, having upped his contributions. Some of this can be attributed to his perimeter shooting, as the seven-footer has buried an impressive 43.8 percent of his triples in this short stretch. It comes in a small sample size of 7-for-16 shooting, but Lopez’s contributions from the outside are beyond welcoming, given how much he struggled with that particular shot in the early stages of his comeback. A large portion of this production has come on catch-and-shoot tries, where Lopez has shot 6-of-13 (46.2 percent), which has been a huge boost for the Bucks.

Defensively, Lopez’s presence has been felt as he has provided incredible protection at the hoop with his 1.3 blocks per game. According to NBA.com/stats, Lopez has held his opponents in this stretch to 26-of-58 field goal shooting, or 44.8 percent. Given that most of his time defensively is spent guarding opposing centers, this is some solid work by the big man. His most notable game was a recent matchup with the Chicago Bulls, where he held Nikola Vucevic to two points while he shot just 1-of-11 from the field and tallied two turnovers. Lopez essentially took Vucevic out of the game entirely due to his defense, having shown his importance on that side of things.

Lopez’s importance was on full display in the big victory over Chicago as he tallied a season-high 28 points while also notching seven rebounds, three blocks, and two steals. While he will not score that many points or block that many shots every night, the center showed that he could be one of the difference-makers for this team.

In short, Lopez has been outstanding on both sides of the basketball lately. Whether it be with his red-hot shooting, dominant scoring, or elite defense down low, the 34-year-old looks rejuvenated following his return to the court after back surgery. With the 2022 NBA Playoffs about to take off, this strong play from Lopez comes at the perfect time. If Lopez can continue playing this strongly on both sides of the basketball while the Bucks are getting contributions from their Big 3 and the slew of role players into the playoffs, the Milwaukee Bucks will become much more formidable.

Hoepfully Lopez can carry this momentum over into the NBA Playoffs.