The Milwaukee Bucks have improved to 7-0 for just the third time in the franchise’s history. The other two times they started 7-0 was the 1971 season and the 2018 season. After a nail-biting victory over the Detroit Pistons on Monday night, the Bucks overcame poor three-point shooting to blow out that same team on Wednesday night. The Bucks held an opponent to under 100 points for the third time this season while scoring over 100 points for the sixth time. Indeed, the Bucks play a great overall game; however, there are some performances that need further monitoring and improvement.
Three Studs
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Sure, it’s only been seven games. However, Giannis Antetokounmpo sure looks poised to become the first player ever to have two seasons in which he won MVP and Defensive Player of the Year. Giannis achieved the feat during the 2019-2020 season, joining Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon as the only players to win both awards in the same season.
🦌 @Giannis_An34 was DOMINANT on both ends adding 5 STL and 2 BLK to his 32 PTS in the @Bucks win to stay undefeated! #FearTheDeer
32 PTS | 12 REB | 4 AST | 5 STL | 2 BLK pic.twitter.com/44ohBpOeEQ
— NBA (@NBA) November 3, 2022
The two-time MVP looked every bit as great as he has ever been. Giannis poured in 32 points while grabbing 12 rebounds. He also added five steals and two blocks on the defense while dishing out four assists. As per usual, Giannis was able to put up such ridiculous numbers in a very short amount of time (30 minutes).
Jrue Holiday
Khris Middleton is usually considered the Bucks’ number-two scoring option. In his absence, Jrue Holiday has been as good as anyone could have asked him to be. Last night, Holiday had 26 points, seven rebounds, and three assists.
Jrue Holiday at the buzzer 🔥 pic.twitter.com/YOSKFnhdpv
— Lily Zhao (@LilySZhao) November 3, 2022
Holiday was, by far, the Bucks’ best shooter in this game. On a night where most players could not buy a made three-pointer, Holiday was 11-16 from the floor and 4-7 from three.
Jordan Nwora
As mentioned above, the Bucks could not buy an outside shot last night, at least not until the third quarter. In addition to Holiday, Jordan Nwora was the only other Bucks player to have a decent shooting night. In 26 minutes off the bench, Nwora shot 4-9 from the field, including 2-5 from three. He finished with 12 points, four rebounds, and two steals.
🎯🎯🎯 pic.twitter.com/thK0pRfPVQ
— Bally Sports Wisconsin (@BallySportWI) November 3, 2022
So far this season, Nwora is shooting 40% from three. Of course, it is still very early in the season, but Nwora has been doing everything the Bucks have asked of him in their first seven games.
Three Duds
Three-Point Shooting
The Bucks are truly missing the shooting of Middleton, Pat Connaughton, and Joe Ingles. Last night, the Bucks started the game 1-20 from three and finished 10-38 (26.8%). Their stout defense and offensive rebounding allowed them to still blowout the lowly Pistons, but outside shots need to start falling as the quality of competition improves.
Marjon Beauchamp
It may not be fair to put the young rookie here, but Marjon Beauchamp got 16 minutes of playing time. It was certainly a learning experience for Beauchamp, who made numerous mistakes and missed all three of his shot attempts. That being said, he also added two steals, four rebounds, and an assist. While it is still early, it appears like Beauchamp is going to be a decent rotation piece on this Bucks team.
Grayson Allen
Along with many Bucks players, Grayson Allen struggled from the floor. Allen was just 2-6 from the field, including 1-4 from three. As with Beauchamp, Allen did not have a totally awful game. His four assists were tied for the team lead in this game and he also added a steal.
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