Milwaukee Bucks: Studs and Duds through the first 10 games

Milwaukee Bucks studs and duds through ten games: Stud: Brook Lopez

It’s getting hard to choose between calling Brook Lopez Splash Mountain and Smash Mountain, Splash for knocking down tons of 3-point shots and Smash given to him by Marques Johnson and Lisa Byington for his domination of the defensive end. After Brook Lopez dominated the Oklahoma City Thunder I posed a question I was asked by a fellow contributor, “did Brook Lopez have the greatest back surgery ever?”

Brook Lopez is doing everything asked of him and more, and honestly, if he keeps this pace up, will be in the conversation of being an All-Star. Brook is currently averaging 14.6 points and 6.1 rebounds. He is shooting 49.6 percent on field goals and currently a career high 37.5 percent on 3-pointers, safe to say Splash Mountain is back.

However, the other side of Brook Lopez is also back, bringing on the Smash Mountain moniker once he crosses half court from offense to defense. Brook is currently leading the NBA in blocks per game at 2.5. To further assert the deserving of a nickname on the defensive end, Brook is far and away the leader in contested shots in the NBA. He has contested 11 more shots than the player in second, Ivica Zubac, and looking at contested two point shots, Lopez holds a 20 shot lead in the category, and Lopez has played one less game!

Call him Splash, call him Smash, call him both, whatever you call him, call him a stud.