The Milwaukee Bucks had a weird offseason, but while they lost some big pieces over the last year, they have quietly put a very interesting team around Giannis Antetokounmpo. Though Antetokounmpo will undoubtedly have to do a lot of heavy lifting this season, the Bucks have put a bunch of great three-point shooters around him. That’s not a bad start.
Antetokounmpo is one of the best players in the world. He’s elite on both ends of the court. The Greek Freak is unstoppable when he gets downhill, which means defenses have to collapse into the paint to stop him. Having three-point shooters around him gives him options to kick out to, and the Bucks have that.
It’s not perfect, but Milwaukee should be better than people expect because of it.
How did Bucks do it?
The Bucks waiving and stretching Damian Lillard over the summer was a massive shock, and though they signed Myles Turner with the extra money, their guard position was still pretty rough.
On top of that, the Bucks lost Brook Lopez to free agency, and they traded Khris Middleton for Kyle Kuzma, who hasn’t turned out to be an ideal fit in Milwaukee.
However, the Bucks have managed to pool together enough three-point shooting talent to make up for their losses and lack of depth on paper.
Through the first four games of the regular season, a bunch of Bucks players have stepped up next to Antetokounmpo, and their three-point shooting has been a key piece of the puzzle.
Ryan Rollins, who just had a career night, is shooting 35.0% from deep on 5.0 three-point attempts per contest, and Gary Trent Jr. is shooting 35.3% from deep on 8.5 attempts.
And those are just the decent shooters. AJ Green is leading the charge from distance. The Bucks just handed him a shiny new extension, and he’s making the most of it.
Green is shooting an insane 59.1% from deep on 5.5 three-point attempts through the Bucks’ first four games of the season. He’s been integral to their offensive success. Taurean Prince is also red-hot from three, shooting 61.5% on 3.3 attempts.
Cole Anthony and Myles Turner have been cold to begin the year, but they are also decent three-point shooters.
The Bucks have quietly built an entire roster of quality shooters with Antetokounmpo at the center of it. And so far this season, it’s kind of working.