Grading Brook Lopez’s massive two-year deal with the Milwaukee Bucks

Detailing Brook Lopez’s fit and role with the Milwaukee Bucks

It’s not controversial to say that Brook Lopez has been a vital piece to the Bucks’ success over the past few years. The big man has been the perfect man in the middle for this team on both ends of the court. While things might not change drastically, it will be interesting to see how Lopez is used in a Milwaukee system that is not headed by Mike Budenholzer. Coach Adrain Griffin likely will not make many seismic changes, but he could look to experiment and Lopez somewhat differently on both ends of the court while still playing to his strengths.

Fit-wise, Lopez is the perfect center for this team, as previously mentioned. Offensively, Lopez has turned himself into a legitimate threat from the perimeter, having shot a career-high 37.4 percent from deep this past season. That helped fuel his best scoring season as a Buck, as he averaged an impressive 15.9 points per game. On top of that, he was a monster defensively, having finished a close second in the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year running. His rim protection is vital for the Bucks defensively, and, once again, it would be incredibly hard to replace that.

Coach Griffin will likely continue urging Lopez to let it fly from behind the arc to space the floor for Giannis Antetokounmpo and Milwaukee’s other core pieces, as it opens things up for everyone on the court. Still, the Bucks should look to turn back the clock with Lopez more and have him operate down low more occasionally, as he’s still a tremendous post player. It was an advantage the Bucks rarely utilized under the previous regime. Defensively, Milwaukee might not utilize drop coverage as much under Griffin as they have previously, but the big man will still be tasked with protecting the rim in other coverages, and he’s more than capable of doing so.

In short, Lopez is key to the Bucks’ success on both ends.