Brook Lopez had an impressive seven-year stint with the Milwaukee Bucks, but one of his biggest problems was the consistent defensive three-second violations. He was always among the league's leaders in the stat, which saw the Bucks give up extra points often. Now, with Lopez gone, they have Myles Turner, who is on the complete opposite side of the spectrum in this regard.
Myles Turner can help Bucks cut back on a particular violation
Over the last three seasons, Myles Turner has collected nine defensive three-second violations for the Indiana Pacers. Last season alone, Brook Lopez had 11 of them, which led the league by a sizeable amount. Over the last few years, the Milwaukee Bucks were among the top teams in total defensive three-second violations largely due to Brook Lopez's lingering flaw.
It's an overlooked stat, for sure, but the swap of Lopez for Turner could make a world of difference for the Milwaukee Bucks in this regard next season.
Lopez tallied so many of these violations because he was often stuck camping in the paint. While he did a great job of protecting the hoop, he wasn't the most mobile big man, particularly during his final few years, limiting his ability to get out before the referees caught onto him. Even if the Bucks gave up just one point because of it, these violations were often a momentum killer.
Getting younger and more versatile this summer was a priority for Milwaukee, which is where Turner comes in. Adding him wasn't solely about cleaning up the defensive three-second violations, but he can certainly still help the team out.
While he's also a dominant defensive threat at the hoop like Lopez, what separates Turner from him is his ability to move out to the perimeter. Lopez was often picked on when dragged out of the paint by opposing teams, and while Turner doesn't defend like a guard or wing, he can still hold his own far better than Lopez can when teams try to exploit him on defense.
Turner joins a frontcourt of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bobby Portis, Kyle Kuzma, and Jericho Sims that tallied a total of three defensive three-second violations as Bucks last season. A much more versatile style of defense, rather than solely just sticking with drop coverage too often, may be on the horizon for the Milwaukee Bucks next season. With the way the NBA is trending, that is exciting.
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