Milwaukee Bucks fans knew Brook Lopez was declining last season. Yet, NBA analyst Zach Lowe is shocked by Lopez's drop-off for the LA Clippers this season. A once reliable defensive stalwart with an impressive outside shot, Lowe and many others seemingly thought that the former Bucks center would be a sneaky good pickup for the Clippers, as he highlighted on "The Zach Lowe Show."
"Brook Lopez aged 10 years over the summer, somehow and has been a complete disaster. Last night against Cleveland, in the first half, they were like, 'We don't even think we can put him on Evan Mobley. We're going to try to put him on Nae'Qwan Tomlin.' And he couldn't always find Tomlin and ended up stuck on De'Andre Hunter. And De'Andre Hunter torched him."
Brook Lopez's decline has been unfolding for some time now
At 37, Lopez's best days are clearly behind him. Last season, his age showed up often. The big man getting hunted and picked apart by other offensive players is nothing new. It happened constantly last year, even leading to the center coming off the bench for the first time in his NBA Playoff career in Game 5. If the Bucks weren't in drop defense, things simply did not work with Lopez on the floor.
There's a reason the Bucks moved mountains to sign Myles Turner. They knew getting younger and more athletic was a priority, and retaining Lopez simply wasn't going to help. Turner hasn't been the needle-tipping move some thought he could be, but Milwaukee, when healthy, has looked far better on defense at times, and the big man's athleticism and versatility have been a key reason why.
Now, to give Lowe some credit, Lopez has regressed a bit more aggressively this season, but some of that is due to him playing the smallest role of his career. He's averaging just 6.3 points and 1.9 boards while shooting 40.4 percent from the floor in 14.4 minutes per game. The big man was better as a Buck last season, but a lot of the issues that are haunting him now were on display then.
The big man has been so abysmal that many are already wondering if he will be a trade candidate as soon as he is eligible, just a few months after the Clippers initially signed him. That's not how they envisioned things going when they handed him a two-year deal worth $18 million last summer.
None of this is to bash Lopez. He will always be remembered fondly in Milwaukee due to his efforts during his time with the franchise. However, that doesn't mean the Bucks were wrong to let him walk. The regression was clearly there, and they knew he wouldn't magically turn back the clock. Father Time remains undefeated, and nothing will reverse that.
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