The Milwaukee Bucks enter the 2024-2025 season with an interesting look to the roster. They did not make any trades this offseason, but they did sign some free agents.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez, Gary Trent Jr., and Damian Lillard are projected to be the starting lineup this season for the Bucks. Bobby Portis Jr., Tauren Prince, and Delon Wright will be some of the key players off the bench for Milwaukee.
1 Stat That Reveals That Milwaukee Bucks Should Play Giannis Antetokounmpo At the 5 More Often
There are times when the Bucks will want to play small ball and will want to have Antetokounmpo at the 5 where Brook Lopez is on the bench. Brian Sampson of forbes.com wrote a stat that is very interesting about Giannis Antetokounmpo playing center. Sampson said:
“Over the past three years, Giannis has seen a declining share of minutes at the five.
In 2021-22, he played 32% of his minutes there, largely out of necessity due to Brook Lopez missing most of the season with a back injury. That figure dropped to 16% in 2022-23 and plummeted to just 3% last season. Yet, in those brief stints, the Bucks outscored opponents by 7.4, 10.1, and a staggering 12.3 points per 100 possessions, respectively.”
It would be interesting to see if head coach Doc Rivers were to implement this at some point during the 2024-2025 season for the Milwaukee Bucks. Bobby Portis Jr. could be on the floor instead of Brook Lopez in this situation.
Lopez Is In the Final Year Of His Contract
Many thought that general manager Brian Horst was going to draft a center in the 2024 NBA Draft as a potential Brook Lopez replacement on the roster, but it didn’t happen. With Lopez in the final year of his deal, it appears as if they won’t trade him after all and let him walk after this season.
Brook Lopez is 36 years old. It will be interesting to see if he does wind up getting traded despite being in rumors all offseason long to be dealt. Lopez has been a good fit for the Bucks during his tenure with the team. There is nothing wrong with him being in the starting lineup. However, the Milwaukee Bucks should try some more minutes with Giannis Antetokounmpo at the center position when Brook Lopez is on the bench also.
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