Doc Rivers has already diagnosed one major issue for the Milwaukee Bucks. According to the tenured coach, Milwaukee’s lack of communication on the defensive end has played a key role in the team’s deficiencies on that side of the ball.
Rivers already has a plan to “fix” this problem, and veteran big man Brook Lopez is going to play a big part in the same.
Milwaukee Bucks Bg Man Brook Lopez Responds to Doc Rivers’ Challenge
According to Coach Doc, Lopez and Jae Crowder are the two players on the roster that stand out in terms of being vocal on the defensive end. Lopez, in particular, also serves as the team’s defensive anchor down low, so it’s necessary for him to make sure that everyone on the floor is on the same page defensively.
Lopez is not shying away from the responsibility. However, he also knows that there’s going to be a significant adjustment period now that there’s a new regime in place. The veteran is also banking on the wealth of experience under his belt as well as his deep understanding of the Bucks’ systems to help him with this massive task:
“Everyone’s definitely trying to do that,” Lopez said about the team trying to talk more, via Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “And, it’s obviously something that’s taken a bit longer to figure out with the, I guess, composite group we have of new and old. Different people, taking longer than we thought it might to figure each other out. Different coaches and everything like that to throw in too. Different concepts.
“So it’s a lot to figure out and you really have to have a good sense of what you’re doing and figure stuff out before you can talk confidently about it on the court, on the fly. You can always talk about little things, saying you got your guy’s back and stuff like that, but you really have to be able to understand the concepts and know what you’re talking about to be able to confidently speak on the floor in those moments.”
Unfortunately, Lopez hasn’t been able to help his squad of late. Tuesday’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns marks the third straight game the 35-year-old is out of commission due to a personal matter. The Bucks are definitely hoping to get Lopez back as soon as possible, but they’re also giving him as much time and space as he needs to deal with this undisclosed personal issue.
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