3 questions before the Milwaukee Bucks face Boston Celtics in round two
By Dalton Sell
No. 2 – Can Grayson Allen have another big series for the Milwaukee Bucks after his brilliance in round one?
During his first playoff series with the Milwaukee Bucks, Grayson Allen certainly put on a show. Following a slow start in his first two games, in which he combined to score a mere three points on 1-of-6 shooting, including 0-of-4 from deep, he flipped the switch over the final three games. In that span, Allen looked incredible as he averaged 20.7 points while shooting 23-of-34 from the floor and an impressive 14-of-20 from 3-point range. The question now is whether or not Allen is capable of replicating his success in those three games, or something similar, in the second round.
Allen’s scoring will make him an X-factor in this series, given how much the Bucks have been hurt by their lack of bench scoring all year. During the regular season, they ranked 27th in bench points per game, having struggled to get consistent production from the second unit. With Allen moving to a bench role late in the regular season, he has helped fix Milwaukee’s lack of scoring from the second unit as he has scored 65 points in the playoffs thus far, the fifth-most among any player that has come off the bench. Allen’s willingness to transition to a bench role has given the Bucks the boost that they desperately needed, and he can be a crucial player in this series because of it.
The second unit scoring from Allen will be pivotal in this matchup, especially in the form of 3-point shooting when paired with Giannis Antetokounmpo. Boston will focus their game plan defensively on slowing down the Greek Freak, meaning there should be open looks from long range for players like Allen at times. This approach is among the reasons why Allen managed to be so successful vs. Chicago, as he shot 8-for-11 (72.7 percent) from 3-point range off passes from Antetokounmpo, making them pay for leaving him open. Allen must do the same in round two when he is sharing the court with the two-time MVP, as this could be the key to him having another stellar series.