Bucks newcomer is becoming a legitimate weapon (but not where most expected)

Make that seven straight wins, nine of the last 10, as the Milwaukee Bucks won East Group B in the NBA Cup, following their 128-107 win over the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night.

It was a sluggish start from the Bucks, but they grabbed control of the game late in the first quarter and strolled home to take the win. The difference between early season performances to now in early December is staggering, with the shooting being a complete polar opposite to the 2-8 start that saw many hounding the team and cracking out the trade pitches.

Against the Pistons, they shot the long ball incredibly, hitting a mesmerizing 23-of-41 (56.1 percent) from beyond the arc. Damian Lillard hit five, Bobby Portis hit four, Gary Trent Jr. and AJ Green hit three a piece and Andre Jackson Jr. chimed in with a couple.

One person not mentioned is the newcomer Taurean Prince, who was brought in as help on the wing defensively, but he is now the BEST statistical 3-point shooter in the league.

Bucks' Taurean Prince has been the best 3-point shooter in the NBA

When the 30-year-old signed a minimum deal this past, the intention was clear that he would be the Jae Crowder replacement and offer some much-needed wing defense that was missing during the 2023-24 NBA season.

Khris Middleton is yet to make his season debut, but Prince has stepped up at the three position and actually helped the Bucks by not needing to rush Middleton back. When the three-time All-Star does return, there is no guarantee he will take Prince's starting spot straight away, and he might be allowed to try to run the bench offense with Trent and Green.

In Detroit, Prince hit all four of his attempts from deep and is comfortably leading the NBA in 3-point percentage at 56.6 percent. Second is Nikola Jokic, with 52.2 percent. This elite shooting has given the Milwaukee Bucks a legitimate weapon that opponents can't leave open.

Giannis Antetokounmpo's mid-range surge, Lillard in full flow and Green, Trent and Prince all dangerous from deep create nightmares for opposing players and staff who struggle to figure a defensive gameplan as Milwaukee has so many weapons now.

Let's just nudge the shooting to the side. Prince has still brought that defensive improvement. This isn't a case of one area improves and another drops off; he has been magnificent on both ends of the floor.

His personal defensive rating this season is 114.8, back to normal following two higher seasons in Minnesota and Los Angeles. Opponents are shooting 48.2 percent on him, which might seem high, but one has to consider the degree of difficulty in the matchups he is facing.

Without dampening the mood, Prince is a career 38.2 percent shooter from three, with his best season being the 2020-21 season, where he hit 40 percent from deep. We may see a slight dip at some point, but the positive is that he's hitting the shots. With Lillard and Giannis attracting so much attention nightly, he can keep knocking those shots down due to good looks.

The final point I would like to add is that Prince and Darvin Ham are still yet to lose in the NBA Cup, dating back to their time with the Los Angeles Lakers. Milwaukee will host the Orlando Magic on Tuesday, December 10, in the quarter-final, which will be the toughest test yet, but with the way Taurean Prince is maximizing his role, who's to say the Bucks can't go win the whole thing in Vegas?

Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks news and analysis.