3 Milwaukee Bucks who need to dial in before the 2023 NBA Playoffs
By Corey Moen
The 2022-23 regular season is winding down for the Milwaukee Bucks, and one thing has been a big focus for them: Consistency.
Watching your favorite team play up to their standard every night is the hallmark of sports. But sometimes, consistency isn’t always attainable players have off nights and hope they improve the next game.
It’s OK to say that if the team was playing in November, but now, the season is winding down, and with the playoffs officially beginning April 11-14 with the Play-In Tournament and first-round action starting April 15, the time to figure it out is over, now is the time to start playing your best basketball.
With that being said, here are the three Milwaukee Bucks who need to dial in before the playoffs.
3 Milwaukee Bucks who need to dial in before the 2023 NBA Playoffs- Pat Connaughton
This is the guy who needs to find his stroke before the end of the regular season.
Outside of the 22-point performance against Utah Jazz last Friday night, Pat Connaughton has been mired in a shooting slump, at which point, he will need to have at least a couple of solid shooting performances so he can take that into the playoffs.
Connaughton’s shooting performances haven’t been great the past couple of months, but he does other things to help the Bucks win. He is a guy who will crash the boards and try to get extra possessions for Milwaukee. Connaughton this season has four games with double-digit rebounds, so his impact extends beyond his scoring output.
Connaughton’s game is not predicated on scoring the basketball because he’s a versatile player who can guard multiple positions, rebound, and bring energy coming off the Bucks’ bench.
Going back to last year, Connaughton didn’t shoot well toward the end of the season (32 percent from three in April) and 35.3 percent, but in the playoffs, he shot a much better 47 percent from the field and 39 percent from three in the postseason. He’s capable of shooting lights-out in high-pressure situations.
So, while Connaughton has struggled this month, don’t doubt that he can put together hot shooting performances in the playoffs.