Brook Lopez is going to be a key figure this season
Brook Lopez needs to play well and stay healthy for the Milwaukee Bucks to make another NBA Championship run. The Milwaukee Bucks made the move of the offseason in acquiring 33-year-old point guard Damian Lillard. Lillard will provide something the Bucks have never really had yet: truly dynamic scoring from the point guard position. “Splash Mountain” should really benefit from the Lillard trade. That certainly seemed to be the case in the preseason.
So with the new point guard you’d expect the defense to focus on “Dame”. That could really help the 35-year-old Milwaukee Bucks star center. And while Brook Lopez is 35 and has had some injury struggles with his back in his career, he played about as well as he ever had last season. He ended the season averaging 2.5 blocked shots per game, a career-high. He also averaged close to a career-high in minutes, playing over 30 minutes a game.
Related: Previewing the guards for the Milwaukee Bucks
The Back-Up Lopez
Brook’s twin brother Robin is returning for his second stint with the team to function as the primary back-up center. The 35 year old has played in 976 career NBA games. He last played for the Bucks in the 2019-2020 season. During that season he averaged 5 points a game spread out across 14 minutes. His best season came when he played for the Bulls in 2017-2018 when he averaged 11.8 points, 2 assists and 5 rebounds a game. He did this over 26 minutes per game.
Bucks fans be ready: Robin Lopez is not all that strong of a free throw shooter. When he played for the Bucks in 2019 he shot around 53%. His career average is much better (72%) but he will miss from the line.
Robin Lopez averages about a blocked shot per game. Over the summer we did wonder out loud in this space if Tacko Fall could make the roster. (See the link below.)
Related: Should Tacko Fall or Meyers Leonard Earn a Roster Spot?
With Lillard now aboard, Milwaukee needs their big men to play defense and rebound the ball.
The phrase “rim-protector” will come up a bunch this season.
Related: GM Jon Horst discusses the inner-workings to acquire Dame Lillard
Can Thanasis play center?
He is listed at 6’6” so the short answer would be, well, he is too short. But at the end of a game, Thanasis can certainly cover some minutes. He has played in 164 games in his career. In those games he averages a little over 8 minutes of playing time. Thanasis averages 2 points, 2 rebounds and an assist per game.
It is much more likely than Giannis, listed at 6 ’11’, would slide into the 5 to cover up some minutes if Robin or Brook could not play.
Don’t Sleep on Bobby Portis
One of the best parts of the Damian Lillard trade was that Milwaukee did not have to give up fan favorite Bobby Portis.
Portis will play some center this season.
Listed at 6’10”, Portis had a great season last year averaging 14.1 points a game. He also had a career high in rebounds at 9.6 a game.
Over his career Portis has played around 22 minutes per game. Milwaukee may want him to play a little more than that this season.
How Much are the Bucks paying for their centers?
In the offseason Milwaukee re-signed Lopez to a 2 yr, $48,000,000 deal. Lopez will become an unrestricted free agent when he turns 37.
Robin Lopez signed a one year, $3,000,000 contract. Robin Lopez also has a trade restriction where he cannot be traded until Dec. 15th.
Bobby Portis is in the second year of a 4 yr 48 million dollar contract. Portis has a player option after the 2025-2026 season that will pay him out 13 million dollars. He’ll be 30 then and you would have to think he would look to make a larger salary.
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