After the Milwaukee Bucks struggled to produce much on offense through the first two games of their series against the Chicago Bulls and then lost their second-leading scorer for (at least) the rest of the series, they needed someone (or multiple someones) to step up.
Enter Grayson Allen!
I was worried that he was too passive or wasn’t getting enough touches through the first two games but since the series shifted to Chicago, he has shown just how crucial he is to the Bucks’ success and why general manager Jon Horst not only acquired him but signed him to an extension before he even played a game for the organization.
How Grayson Allen’s offensive explosion has swung the series for the Milwaukee Bucks
Allen’s first two games weren’t necessarily bad, he just wasn’t noticeable or making nearly enough of an impact. He took six total shots in 40 minutes through Games 1 and 2, which just isn’t enough for someone who shot nearly 41 percent on nearly six 3s per game during the regular season.
He’s still coming off of the bench, but in a heightened role without Middleton, he has flourished.
Allen got off to a hot start when the team was without Middleton in the early part of the regular season, averaging 14 points and shooting nearly 43 percent from 3 on 7.4 attempts in his first 22 games.
He tended to fade into the background when the Bucks had their three best players available as there weren’t as many plays run for him and the touches just weren’t there. He still managed to have some big nights here or there, but it wasn’t what we saw through those first 22 games.
So when Middleton went down, it made sense that it’s been Allen that has risen to the occasion.
In the last two games, Allen had 49 points on… wait for it… 98.47 percent true shooting! He was 11-of-14 from 3 and even picked up a few steals!
Allen’s 3-point shooting is important enough already given how teams load up on Giannis Antetokounmpo, but against a Bulls team that really limits 3-point attempts (second-fewest and three percent below league average), it matters even more for him to get shots off.
Allen also showed his diverse scoring profile by making multiple smart drives to the basket when the Bulls tried to run him off of the 3-point line, going 7-of-10 inside the arc. He’s always been more than a spot-up shooter and we only really get to see that when one or two of the big three are out and his role expands.
I still like the decision to swap him and Wesley Matthews in the starting lineup so that Allen can come in and have more of the offense run for him. He also doesn’t let the Bucks be as versatile defensively, but he’s still a solid enough defender. Allen played with very active hands in the first half of Game 4 and picked up three steals in quick succession.
He’s not going to shoot over 78 percent from 3 every night but Allen getting going like this is a good confidence builder going forward in the playoffs. He only has seven games of playoff experience before this and there are going to be tons of high leverage spots that he’ll play in.
Allen showed that he’s more than unfazed by hostile road playoff environments and that’s a great mentality to have for when they play future crowds in cities such as Boston and Philadelphia. They say role players play better at home, but that hasn’t been the case for Allen in the first round.
The Milwaukee Bucks will get the chance to close out their division rival at home on Wednesday.