Bucks vs. Spurs, late
Options. Others may call it adjustments.
For Milwaukee Bucks general manager Jon Horst and head coach Mike
Budenholzer, that has been what this season’s roster construction and variety of on-court systems have been about. Options for Giannis Antetokounmpo on offense when the defense forms its walls in the paint, especially out beyond the three-point. Adjustments when an opponent goes small but also when they want to attack the Bucks from the perimeter as opposed to the rim.
That’s what the trade for P.J. Tucker was about.
Let’s start with the defense, as that
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is what the 35-year-old forward is most known for. Unlike the recently traded Torrey Craig, Tucker can help defend bigger post players when the Bucks elect to move center Brook Lopez off the court.
“What Brook is doing coming out of the break, how he's impacting things defensively, what Bobby (Portis) has done for us on both ends of the court and now to have P.J. Tucker as another option in that rotation of bigs,” Budenholzer said. “Not just to finish the game but how can we continue to be better during the meat of the game, maybe keep guys more fresh and healthier and all those things. We feel like we can go a lot of different directions to match up with a lot of different groups with adding a really elite-level defender like P.J. to this group.”
The smallest lineups the Bucks have run out prior to Saturday night's game against San Antonio were:
51 minutes: D.J. Augustin, Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton, Portis and Giannis Antetokounmpo (net rating 33.6)
40 minutes: Augustin, Pat Connaughton, Middleton, Craig, Portis (-28.7)
37: Bryn Forbes, Donte DiVincenzo, Connaughton, Portis, G. Antetokounmpo (33.6)
32: Holiday, Connaughton, Middleton, Portis, G. Antetokounmpo (17.4)
23: DiVincenzo, Forbes, Middleton, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Portis (-35.3)
21: Augustin, Connaughton, Middleton, Portis, G. Antetokounmpo (12.5)
20: Augustin, DiVincenzo, Connaughton, Portis, Antetokounmpo (-0.6)
20: Augustin, Holiday, Connaughton, Craig, Portis (21.0)
20: Augustin, Holiday, Middleton, T. Antetokounmpo, Portis (-3.0)
19: Holiday, DiVincenzo, Connaughton, Middleton, G. Antetokounmpo (32.1)
The most-played “smaller” unit the Bucks have gone with in fourth quarters is the group of Holiday, DiVincenzo, Connaughton, Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo. That group has played 18 total minutes together in nine games (5-4) and posted impressive ratings of 114.6 on offense and 74.4 on defense (net 40.2).
Next would be DiVincenzo, Forbes, Middleton, Portis and Antetokounmpo (six games, 10 minutes) with a 95.7 offensive rating, 79.2 defense (net 16.5).
Other smaller combinations have not been as effective in fourth quarters in their smaller sample sizes.
"Brook is incredibly important to us and helps us so much on both ends of the court,” Budenholzer said of sometimes taking Lopez out to close games. “He's been a big part of everything we do for a few years.
"But every game's a little bit different. Sometimes it's how are we playing, what makes the most sense for us, whether it's defensively or offensively. Sometimes it may be the other team has done something or put lineups out there.
"I don't think that just necessarily the five guys that start are always going to finish, but at the same time Brook has been a big part of our finishing group and has been incredibly important.”
For his part, Lopez has bought in to the defensive changes. When he has been asked to switch on pick and roll and not just drop to the rim, he has made an effort to close out and contest. But perhaps more importantly, he has bought in to not always being on the court.
“Obviously the coaches are trying to put the best lineup out there to handle the team we're playing or the situation we're in,” he said.
What the Bucks hope Tucker can do is make them a more connected unit when they do switch.
In order to qualify for the NBA stat tracking on defense, players must have played a minimum of 10 possessions per play type, so Holiday has not qualified for the Bucks in defending the roll man in pick and roll.
The best at it for the Bucks has been Antetokounmpo, who is allowing 0.91 points per possession.
The next best is Middleton at 1.07. The team slides considerably after that, with Lopez (1.11), Portis (1.13), Forbes (1.15) and DiVincenzo (1.80) rounding out the players who have qualified.
Then there's Tucker, who is allowed 0.60 points per possession on roll men.
It's an important addition in that way.
To date, the team has been respectable in containing the ball handler on pick and roll in points allowed per possession with Holiday (0.85) leading the way, followed by DiVincenzo (0.86), Middleton (0.99), Antetokounmpo (1.06) and Forbes (1.12).
When it comes to defending the handoff, Tucker is more than solid as well having allowed 0.88 points per possession. He would join Middleton (0.75), DiVincenzo (0.80) and Forbes (0.87) at the top of the Bucks players in that category. Antetokounmpo (1.08), Holiday (1.11) and Pat Connaughton (1.11) were the other Bucks who have qualified to be tracked.
The Bucks could also use some help in defending cutters, as Lopez (1.55), Portis (1.45) and Antetokounmpo (1.44) have had their issues there as the big men.
Tucker has been elite in defending cutters, allowing 0.71 points per possession.
“They've been switching a little bit more and coach ‘Bud' wants to do that a little bit more,” Tucker said. “I think I give a little more versatility for them to be able to put some different lineups with different teams. I think that's going to be key during the playoffs. When you look at the top teams you've got to be able to versatile.
"You've got to be able to go big, be able to go small and still have lineups here you can switch, lineups with Brook where he can be back and be able to switch it up because each team is so different. I think I give us that opportunity.”
On offense, Tucker brings another three-point shooter to the court. The Bucks have slipped to fifth in the league in shooting from beyond the three-point line (38.4%) after spending much of the season in the top two spots, and most of those attempts per game come above the break (29.0) where they make 38.3% of them (fifth-best in the league). The Bucks are 11th in corner three conversions (40%) and attempts (8.5).
Tucker is having a down year for him in the corners (35.9% from the left, 30.3% from the right) but Budenholzer and Tucker are confident that playing with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Middleton and Holiday will create more open looks and easier scoring chances.