Brook Lopez is in his own magic kingdom
“Brooklyn Brook” in the paint. “Bubble Brook” in Disney. There’s a worthwhile debate he should have been “AllStar Brook” back in February. Certainly he would have loved being “Olympic Brook” a couple of weeks ago had he been selected to represent the U.S. in Tokyo in what should have been the summer games 2020.
No matter the nickname, Milwaukee
Bucks center Brook Lopez has been on a tear during the NBA’s restart in Orlando.
With 143 points (20.4 a game) and 48 of 100 shooting, Lopez has been a bright spot in the Bucks’ otherwise lackluster 3-5 run since the NBA games resumed July 31. While coach Mike Budenholzer has shuffled the lineups and prioritized game readiness and health over win-atall-costs philosophy in Orlando, Lopez has been steady and consistent on both sides of the ball.
And it will never get tiresome to talk about the big man’s shooting range.
“I’m really not that great at breaking
down guys’ shots or part of mechanics like some of the coaches do, but I will say he does have really good form for a big guy,” said teammate Khris Middleton. “And great touch all around the basket and from deep.”
Lopez has made 18 three-pointers in seven games in the bubble (he sat one game, coach’s decision). One game he was 6 for 12 from the arc; in another, 5 for 5.
“As a team we have a little bit of an insider joke that he plays well in Orlando, always,” said Budenholzer. “He’s got an offseason home here; he loves it here.
“He’s come here, he’s put the time in, he’s in a good place physically, mentally, and has played really well.”
What is really impressive is watching the guy run.
Lopez is 7 feet tall and listed anywhere between 270 and 282 pounds, yet the Bucks, at least before the pandemic shut down the season, play at the fastest pace in the league. So Lopez had to keep up.
It wouldn’t be unreasonable to expect his shooting percentages to suffer if he’s rushing or tired. But he works at shooting at this race pace.
“I’m comfortable with the way we play in the open court and in transition,” said Lopez Sunday afternoon during the customary video conference calls with reporters. “It’s what’s best for our team. It’s what’s best for the majority of our players. It makes us difficult to guard.
“It definitely is something I’ve worked on in my workouts and my personal workouts.”
The Bucks call some of these workouts their ‘daily vitamins’ and Lopez’s is drawn up for him to simulate the game atmosphere. He works on this a lot when team practice has ended, running from one side of the court to the other.
“I do a lot of transition shooting drills where you go from corner to opposite corner, wing to wing, top of the key to top of the key, all the way around the arc,” said Lopez. “Running into shots like you would in transition, off a sprint, and then gathering, stopping and getting good balance into a shot.”
The goal: make at 7 out of 10 of those shots around the arc, at both baskets.
This is when Lopez can really show how high his personal standards are; he can get furious on the practice court if the shots don’t fall.
And it’s that competitive side that has to be monitored a bit. When Lopez played 35 minutes a week ago at the Dallas game, Budenholzer said that was too many. Since then Lopez has played 25, 23 and 20 minutes a game, closer to his season average of 26.7.
“As long as I’m going to be out there, I’m going to go as hard as I can,” said Lopez. “I’m definitely not going to put any sort of cap or anything like that on my minutes. I’ll leave that to Bud to decide.”
There is one thing we are all being robbed of during this NBA restart, which really has been excellent and admirable from afar. The envy of the American sports world, really.
But not being able to tag along with Brook and his twin and teammate, Robin, at least for a little bit in Disney World to see them in their element is just another disappointment of 2020. We’ve seen them read books to children in Milwaukee; can you imagine their dayto-day observations at Disney?
While their teammates are dressed in the most trendy and fashionable outfits, these guys wear cartoon T-shirts and hats. Thank goodness for Robin’s occasional tweet about Disney themed rooms and crazy food and movie debates, even if we don’t get all the references.
Brook is only showing his public personality with his cartoon masks.
Just imagine the Bucks having these twin towers as their tour guide for all things Disney. Real bubble fatigue is going to settle in at some point, even with the purpose of the playoffs that begin Tuesday, at long last. The Bucks are going to have to find new and creative ways to make their own fun in 2020 (just like the rest of us). It’s just as important to get a mental and physical break away from basketball as it is to play 100% all-in during games and practice.
Give these guys a light saber, some version of the Mickey Mouse ears and a megaphone to lead the tour group through phantom crowds to Epcot World Showcase. They’d know what to get for lunch by the live percussion show. They’d know where the best seats are for the fireworks around the globe.
“You can definitely tell they’re ready to be out here playing and whatnot,” said Middleton, with an grin underneath his own mask.
“They’re home at Disney World playing the pinball machines, you see them wearing their T-shirts and like their different masks. You can tell they’re comfortable being here, which is what we need from them.
“They’re big pieces of who we are and we need them to play well.”