The Milwaukee Bucks' four-game preseason showcase was a mixed bag, sometimes filled with moments of promise and other times exposing areas needing improvement as they gear up for the regular season.
With a record of 1-3, the Bucks faced tough competition, including losses to the Detroit Pistons and Los Angeles Lakers and a win against the Chicago Bulls. These exhibition games served as a critical testing ground for the team, allowing them to evaluate their new roster dynamics and refine their strategies under Doc Rivers.
The preseason also highlighted some key individual performances that could shape the Bucks' trajectory this season. While the results may not fully reflect their potential, certain statistics and player developments provide optimism for fans eager to see their team contend for another title.
Let's dive into three standout stats that have emerged from this preseason and look at what they might mean for the contending Bucks going forward.
While preseason stats should always be taken with a grain of salt and don't necessarily mean anything just yet, there are a few good insights to take away from what we have so far after these four exhibition matches. Here's what we saw.
Pat Connaughton and Bobby Portis' re-emergence as lethal scorers
Perhaps one of the biggest surprise of the preseason is the re-emergence of Pat Connaughton and Bobby Portis as scoring threats.
Portis led the team in shooting the basketball from distance, registering a whopping 81.8 percent as he sunk three of his 3.7 attempts per game. His shot is looking quicker these days, too; everything from setting his feet and releasing the basketball looks snappier and more purposeful this time around. It's clear he put work in over the summer to hasten that process all around.
This marks a significant improvement for Portis, who struggled with his 3-point shooting last season. His ability to stretch the floor will be crucial for the Milwaukee Bucks, especially as they integrate star Damian Lillard further into their offensive scheme.
Connaughton, who has always been a reliable shooter but had a bit of a down year last season, displayed a return to form with an impressive 41.7 percent clip. Outside of the three-ball, he also got quite a bit of baskets off smart cuts and timely reads.
Compared to his younger counterparts at the wing position, Connaughton separated himself by reading the game like a true veteran. He was also fourth on the team in assists, with 2.5 dimes per contest, showing he can still very much function as a tertiary ball-handler in any lineup.
Of course, since this is still preseason — where defenses are not as likely to close out to shooters with urgency — this is still obviously one of those things where we'll have to see if it holds up into the regular season. The point is this: Connaughton and Portis have looked really, really good shooting the basketball.
But with both Connaughton and Portis finding their rhythm from deep, Milwaukee could become a more versatile offensive team capable of punishing defenses that collapse on Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.
Up and down the roster, Milwaukee is letting it fly and getting rewarded
Speaking of 3-point shooting, another cause for optimism is that the Milwaukee Bucks roster as a whole is shooting better from the perimeter.
Even while the Bucks were 25th in 3-point attempts (36.5), they finished the preseason fifth in the league in efficiency from range as they made 37 percent of their attempts. Up and down the roster were generally above-average performances shooting the basketball, with seven players shooting 40 percent and higher from three, including Damian Lillard, Brook Lopez, Delon Wright and Gary Trent Jr. - all rotation players.
You could interpret this as individual shooting improvements on the players' part, but this could also be a direct result of the new five-out offensive schemes being implemented by head coach Doc Rivers. This is, after all, the first time the Milwaukee Bucks under Rivers have gone to training camp after a full offseason together.
This also means that Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard are still elite at finding ways to get defenses to collapse on them and creating open looks for teammates. Antetokounmpo did finish third in the league in usage, with 41.4 percent of Milwaukee's offense being initiated or finished by the Greek Freak whenever he was on the court, per NBA.com/stats.
Some of these percentages will naturally regress to the norm throughout the regular season, but some of the worse performances of the preseason should also improve once the bench players see more relaxed roles playing next to the stars. Consider, too, that another elite shooter in Khris Middleton was out for preseason and should be back soon to bolster the Bucks' offense further.
Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo's continued dominance
In the first quarter minutes their starters played together, the Bucks ranked fifth in the league in both offensive rating (94.7) and net rating (net plus-16.5). This impressive performance came without Khris Middleton in the starting lineup and with Giannis Antetokounmpo missing a few games.
Despite extremely limited minutes, Lillard and Giannis still led the Bucks in points per game. Their two-pronged, inside-out attack would wreak havoc against opposing defenses early on in games and saw them handily erecting sizable leads.
While not quite there yet, their chemistry appears to be developing quickly; Lillard's ability to create space and find open shots complements Giannis's driving ability perfectly. The duo’s early success suggests that they can form one of the most potent offensive pairings in the league this season.
We didn't see the vaunted Dame-Giannis pick-and-roll as much as we would have liked, but what we did see was a superstar duo conscious of one another on the court. The schemes were still mostly your-turn-my-turn basketball, but it was clear they now knew just how much spacing advantage they provided one another. We saw a lot more opportunistic moving, whether cutting to the basket or flashing to the wings and getting open for a shot. It's a start.
The Bucks' ability to maintain high offensive efficiency even with key players sidelined speaks volumes about their depth and potential for this upcoming season. With Middleton expected to return soon, Milwaukee's offensive firepower could reach new heights.
Andre Jackson Jr. and Chris Livingston were two of the best defenders
Their offensive performances left a lot to be desired for second-year players, but Andre Jackson Jr. and Chris Livingston are still among the better defensive players on the Milwaukee Bucks, at least according to their preseason defensive ratings. Livingston was third on the team with 101.9 points given up per 100 possessions, and Jackson followed with 102.
This is not to say that they actually had good preseasons - the reality is that there is still a lot to work on. But what this does mean is that they can still do what the Bucks drafted them for: to defend the perimeter. That they were behind only big man Brook Lopez should show just how much potential they still have as ball-stoppers.
Jackson has always been a meteoric ball of energy, able to use his speed, quickness, and wingspan to disrupt ball-handlers. Livingston, on the other hand, is much more methodical, using his strength and versatility instead to muck up actions and play solid help defense against much bigger players.
Both play roles the Milwaukee Bucks still sorely need, and even though their offense is what it is, it's good to see that they're still relatively serviceable on one side of the ball.
This commitment to defense is crucial as the Bucks aim to reclaim their status as one of the top defensive teams in the league after ranking 16th in defensive efficiency last season. Jackson and Livingston's development could help solidify Milwaukee's perimeter defense, allowing them to compete effectively against high-scoring opponents.
As we look ahead to the regular season, these three key preseason stats provide ample reason for optimism surrounding the Milwaukee Bucks.
The resurgence of Connaughton and Portis as 3-point threats enhances their offensive versatility; Lillard and Giannis's early dominance signals a promising partnership, and Jackson Jr. and Livingston's defensive capabilities offer hope for improved team defense.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.