The Milwaukee Bucks have dealt their fair share of growing pains so far. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard are trying to figure out how they mesh together, specifically with one set that hasn’t been used consistently as much.
The Milwaukee Bucks need to run more pick-and-rolls for their two-stars
The addition of Damian Lillard for the Milwaukee Bucks was supposed to solve a ton of problems offensively. One of which is Giannis finally doesn’t have to be the focal point offensively, and Lillard’s presence opens up opportunities for Giannis to get easy baskets; instead, the offense has been a little off for one reason: the lack of pick-and-roll sets being run for Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Bucks freelance writer Louis Zatzman had an interesting thread on what has gone into the lack of pick-and-rolls being run for the pair guys this season.
So far this season, Lillard and Antetokounmpo have run 29 picks together, which ranks 61st among combos leaguewide. Seems underused!
— Louis Zatzman (@LouisZatzman) November 2, 2023
The departure of Terry Stotts hurt in this way because Stotts was supposed to be the main play-caller offensively, and with him gone, Joe Prunty is left to dial up offensive sets, which wouldn’t have been the worst situation in the world. But less than a week to prepare isn’t a lot of time. During his tenure with the Trail Blazers, Stotts utilized the pick-and-roll at a high level, especially when Portland had LaMarcus Aldridge and Lillard.
During his tenure as an assistant coach under Jason Kidd, Prunty didn’t utilize the pick-and-roll often, as Milwaukee was in the middle of the pack or below. It’s not a concern yet, but Joe Prunty doesn’t need to overcomplicate the offense. Just run a simple set for Lillard and Giannis to get into a rhythm.
ZERO of those have included a spacer in each corner. (which, you can read about here, is a big thing for efficient offense) https://t.co/mdBI2PVz3n
— Louis Zatzman (@LouisZatzman) November 2, 2023
This one is self-explanatory. If the middle is clogged up, there should be a shooter at each corner, so Giannis has an outlet to kick it to. Last time I checked, Malik Beasley, Cameron Payne, and Pat Connaughton are still on the roster. Those players should be utilized more in pick-and-roll situations.
When Lillard runs picks with other players, Giannis is most often spacing on the right wing, which does give him a little head of steam on drive, but also allows less complex help schemes for defenses because he's not a shooting threat
— Louis Zatzman (@LouisZatzman) November 2, 2023
This is another way of saying the offense is easier to defend without Giannis being involved in the play. Teams will load up and stop Giannis from gaining a full head of steam going to the rim. Opponents will willingly leave Giannis alone on the wing and force him to take jump shots.
Why? Lillard has taken ONE pull-up 3 in those situations, which he missed. He has to shoot more, but mostly, the Bucks just need to run the set more. They're not emphasizing their strengths, and then going away from them when it's not working. Gotta be more consistent
— Louis Zatzman (@LouisZatzman) November 2, 2023
This is the counter to stopping a Giannis-Dame pick-and-roll. Playing drop coverage will work on this duo because teams will live with Giannis shooting outside the paint. Damian Lillard hasn’t fully activated Dame Time yet, and it’s an adjustment period for Dame because he’s used to being the do-it-all superstar he was in Portland. Now he has a legit running mate, and there are times when Damian defers to Giannis, and times Giannis defers to Dame. This partnership is less than a month old, and as the season goes on, expect Milwaukee to be more efficient offensively.
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