The new age of the NBA is here, and the Milwaukee Bucks are trying not to get left in the dust.
These days, the successful teams are the ones with freak athletes who get up and down the floor in a timely matter, play versatile defense and are youthful. Need any proof? The top three teams in each conference, the Cavaliers, Celtics, Knicks, Thunder, Rockets and Grizzlies, all check off these boxes. As one of the oldest teams in the NBA, that just isn't who the Milwaukee Bucks are this season.
They've tried to get with modern times by implementing players like AJ Green, Andre Jackson Jr. and Ryan Rollins into the rotation, but Doc Rivers remains far from fully committed to them. If they want to get in the mix with this trend and combat some of the top teams, it would make sense for the Bucks to make a move that fits the description, but they would benefit mightily by doing so at one position.
The Milwaukee Bucks need a center who better fits their needs
The center spot has been a sizeable issue for the Milwaukee Bucks this year. Though Brook Lopez is still a force at the hoop defensively, and while Bobby Portis has had some nice games here and there, the combined lack of athleticism, speed and switch-ability defensively between these two has hurt the team again and again this season.
When these younger, more athletic teams come to town, Lopez and Portis are often hunted to the point where the Bucks would be better with them off the floor. Look no further than Milwaukee's last two games, where Lopez was benched in consecutive fourth quarters against the young Nets and Trail Blazers. The Bucks lost both games, but they had to go small to make things competitive.
If the Milwaukee Bucks want to compete with these teams, they need a boost at center. Need proof? Against those previously-mentioned top three teams in each conference, Milwaukee has a combined 1-8 record, and their only win was a 1-point win over Houston (one could say 2-8 if they count the NBA Cup title game vs. OKC, but that did not count toward official record).
Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis are not completely at fault for this foul record, but it's clear that they've both played a sizeable part due to the aforementioned factors.
What can the Milwaukee Bucks do? Explore the trade market to find a big man with some athleticism and mobility. Keeping both Lopez and Portis has trouble written all over it. They have to shake up the center spot if they want to hang with these top teams when it counts.
Who can the Bucks target? The two names consistently pitched by fans are Robert Williams III and Larry Nance Jr. While both have concerns with injuries, there's no denying that they could help this team patch the issue at center when healthy. Of course, there are other targets out there, but those are the top two floating around; it will be up to general manager Jon Horst to make the calls.
If the Milwaukee Bucks end up standing pat and sticking with these two at the center spot, it would likely spell trouble for their chances of ever getting out of their current rut. The likeliest avenue is moving on from Portis, and if the Bucks can find someone who better fits their current needs to be the backup to Lopez, so be it.
The Milwaukee Bucks have until the February 6 trade deadline to make a meaningful move.
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