The Bucks have shown great success this season especially when their Big Three is on the court. There has been periods where not all three were on the hardwood at the same time, resulting in the team not playing at the top of their game.
Offensively, it is expected that one of these three will get the bucket. In the last game on Thursday against the Magic, Lillard and Giannis were running a handoff play on more than one occasion. Giannis would dribble to the left hash and hand off to Lillard while setting a screen. This either gave Lillard the open shot or made Giannis’ defender double to guard the shooter leaving him open.
Bucks: Top 5 in Net Rating in Their Last 10 games played
The Bucks had a net rating score of plus 9.1 in their last ten games played. The team altogether is playing efficient basketball and their record shows that. Any positive net rating especially near double digits is really good for a team, although with the big 3, the net rating is over double that at 18.4.
All Bucks lineups featuring Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, and Khris Middleton have a plus 18.4 net rating on the season. Those groups’ offensive rating of 125.9 would be first in the league, and their defensive rating of 107.5 would be too.
— Ti Windisch (@TiWindisch) December 22, 2023
The team is great without their 3 stars but they are the best team, net rating wise, with their stars on the court together. Their offensive rating sits at 125.9, the top rating among the league for three all stars.
Bucks Top in Both Offense and Defensive Ratings With Big 3
Milwaukee plays hard defense and they’ll send the opponent to the line rather than giving them an open basket. Bobby Portis showed his defensive resilience in Thursday’s game with the Magic. Portis took an open 3 in the corner and missed, he then ran down the court to stop the fastbreak by getting right in the way of Banchero and fouling him.
The defensive rating with Giannis, Middleton, and Lillard on the court is 107.5. This also the top in the league. With these stats, it could certainly be argued that the Bucks are one of, if not the best team offensively and defensively.
