Speaking of which, the Bucks are considered to have been strengthened after trading for Lillard this season, but with the loss of Holiday and Middleton's decline, the Bucks' defense is not as good as it used to be. It seems that their current record is still in the top four in the East, but in fact, they have been looked down upon by many experts, and even believe that they have lost the best window to win the championship.
So is this actually the case?Are the Bucks still a strong team?After a series of questions, let's take a look at the Bucks' lineup and recent games
Let's start with the shame of the Bucks last season, which was the Black Eight Miracle of Jimmy Butler, who topped the Eastern Conference but were beaten by the Heat, who barely made it out of the playoffs and finished in eighth place. Under the framework of maintaining a lineup with Brother Alphabet as the core, the Bucks still want to work hard in a possible championship window, and if the team wants to change, then change the offense first.
They thought that Holiday was no longer suitable for the team because of his sluggish performance on the offensive end, so they packed a lot of leftovers in exchange for 75 superstar Lillard in a vain attempt to improve his offense, which not only lost the defensive gate Holiday Holiday, but also the defensive giants Allen and Jevon Carter, and this loss of the back line turned the Bucks from a defensive team to an offensive team.
Lillard is admittedly easy to use, and plug and play, and it is impressive to score 39 points in the first game to break the 76ers, but the rice god left behind by the heavy money is no longer a spicy man. After repeated injuries, Middleton not only lost his offense with the ball, but also couldn't even shoot the basketball, averaging 11 per gameWith 8 points, he's not even as good as some role players.
With the injury trouble, although Middleton is 32 years old and is in the prime of play, but his average playing time is only about 20 minutes per game, he was originally an offensive and defensive integration on the court, and now not only can not guarantee the defense of the front, even the empty three-point shot is difficult to grasp, the shooting rate is only 31%, and the free throws that once hit 78% are gradually becoming a brother.
Without Middleton, the Bucks in the framework of the Big Three were instantly reduced to an internal and external duo, and Lillard, although he was still a cold-blooded killer at that critical moment, and he repeatedly saved the team from fire and water, but most of the time he was not very efficient, shooting less than 42% from the field and averaging 25 per gameA score of 5 is also decent. This is all the more due to Giannis, who regained his scoring to 30 points and 10 points after a brief slump in the early part of the seasonWith 8 rebounds and a shooting rate of 60%, his impact on the basket is still unstoppable, and the key is that he has to take on more defensive responsibilities.
Fortunately, there is a 35-year-old Da Luo behind Brother Alphabet, he is a real basket gate, ranking second in the league with an average of 2 blocks per game, and the restricted area he guards is still a nightmare for all opponents. And Da Luo's three-point shot did not regress, as soon as he stood on the three-point line, Brother Alphabet's road ahead was bright. Once the opposing center can't come out, Lopez can punish the opponent with three points. In addition, his hook hand is gradually demonized, and it is difficult to defend.
It is worth mentioning that in the game against the Wizards, Da Luo was forced to become a giant, scoring 39 points in 14 of 17, and teaming up with the letter Lillard to score 101 points, while Middleton only scored 7 points in that game, which shows that Mishen has really faded out of the ranks of giants.
The Bucks are still in third place in the East, and it is obviously unreasonable to say that a team in the top three in the division is not on the scope of the championship discussion, but the Bucks are conceding as many as 120 points per game is very worrying, whether it is the starting combination of Lillard and Beasley or the backup Payne, the backcourt is ten thousand stabs, and the forward Middleton is no longer what it used to be, and the team completely relies on the interior to cover up many holes in the guard line, which is the biggest hidden danger in the playoffs.
In the past few games, although the Bucks have twice taken revenge on the Heat and have also played a winning streak, the goal difference is not high, perhaps out of luck or out of the key ball ability of the favorable guidance, we can see that they are not easy to play any opponent, and many three-quarter clock-ins last season have been greatly reduced. The Celtics were defeated by their direct rivals, and the Pacers were also defeated by the offensive team, and if they were not taken seriously, they could not even beat the Bulls without DeRozan LaVine.
It is true that Brother Alphabet played hard, and Coach Lee also wanted to impact the championship, but the actual defense is too poor, the opponent is too strong, and the salary space is locked and it is difficult to have room for adjustmentWelcome to leave a message in the comment area, if you like it, remember to like and follow, thank you for your support!