Milwaukee Bucks Deep Dive

By: Melo Williams 

Since the last time we checked in on the Milwaukee Bucks, not much has changed. The Bucks are who we thought they were. Milwaukee is still winning and has the second-best record in the league at 17-6, the stats and numbers are consistent, and it’s clear that Giannis Antetokounmpo is clearly in the MVP race and is the best player in the world.

What has changed for the Bucks is that Pat Connaughton is back healthy, getting his legs underneath him more, and Fear The Deer, All-Star forward Khris Middleton has finally returned after missing the first month of the season from off-season wrist surgery.

We’re going to take a deeper look into Buck’s last 10-game stretch.

BUCKS BLOCK PARTY

Hear Ye Hear Ye, the Milwaukee Bucks is sponsoring block parties and you are welcome to try to score at your own risk.

The Bucks average 6.3 blocks per game. Only two teams block more shots than the Bucks, Indiana Pacers (6.5) and the Brooklyn Nets (7.2).

The Buck’s top three shot blockers are Brook Lopez, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Jevon Carter.

Brook  “Splash Mountain” Lopez leads the NBA in blocks (66), blocks per game (3.0), and block percentage (8.0%). Lopez has played in 22 games and he’s had 3+ blocks in 11 games. Milwaukee is 9-2 in those games. Brook has to be the front-runner for Defensive Player of the Year.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is averaging 1.1 blocks per game. His ninth consecutive season with 1+ block per game. This season in six games of the 19 games he played in, Giannis has 2+ blocks and Milwaukee has won all six.

We’ve been talking about Jevon Carter a lot this season, for good reasons. With the injuries to Middleton, Connaughton, and Wesley Matthews, Carter has been taking full advantage of his opportunities.

Jevon Carter is at (0.7) blocks per game.

Carter has a block in 10 of his 23 games with 2+ blocks in four games. Carter had a career-high 3 blocks on Nov. 7 at Atlanta. He had 2 blocks against the Lakers.

According to http://basketball-reference.com, Carter could become just the fourth player 6-1 or under since 1973-74 to average at least 0.7 blocks per game. The others are Lakers guard Patrick Beverley, who has done it each of the last two seasons, and Raptors’ Fred VanVleet in 2020-21.

MIDDLETON IS BACK

It’s been a rough nine-month stretch for Middleton. On April 20, Game 2 of the Bucks’ first-round playoff series against the Chicago Bulls last season, Middleton suffered a Grade 2 sprain of his MCL in his left knee. He missed the remainder of the Bucks’ playoffs. Khris underwent off-season wrist surgery that held him out of the first 20 games this season and had to bury his father, who passed away in November.

In Middleton’s 2022-23 season debut versus the Los Angeles Lakers, he scored 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting, 2 rebounds, and 7 assists.

After the loss to the Lakers in his debut, he said “It felt great, I should say good if we got the win it would have been great. Felt really good to be back out there with the guys, competing, playing … Been through a lot in these last couple of months. Happy, sad, anxious, nervous, so to finally get out there and play and get a lot of those nerves past me, it felt pretty good.”

Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said “Pretty impressive how seamlessly he got back into the game, both ends of the court,” Budenholzer said. “We talk a lot about how Khris is just a basketball player. He’s a smart player. Just understands the game. Not over-reliant on athleticism or things like that.”

Middleton was inactive the next game against the Charlotte Hornets, along with the rest of Milwaukee’s Big 3, but returned to play in the Bucks’ wins Monday and Wednesday versus the Magic and Kings.

Against Orlando, Middleton went 1-for-11 overall and 0-for-7 from the 3-point. Middleton scored 14 points, (45.5 FG%) grabbed six rebounds and, dished out six assists versus the Kings.

Though it’s been a super small sample size in the three games Middleton has played in, Khris Middleton’s return has been somewhat transparent as to what this Bucks’ team can look like once Khris Middleton gets back in actual game shape and the Bucks’ chemistry settle in.

JRUE HOLIDAY

If any NBA player always gets overlooked, it has to be Jrue Holiday aka Mr. Consistency.  Holiday work on the court may get overlooked by non-Bucks fans but certainly not among Bucks fans.

When Jrue’s name is mentioned in Bucks’ fans’ circles you immediately hear the overwhelming appreciation and respect for Jrue Holiday, a fan favorite.

When I say Holiday does it all, I mean just that. We know he’s a lockdown defender that loves defending the other team’s best offensive player. He’s been named to the NBA’s All-Defensive team four times, twice on the first team.

Jrue also can score, run the offense and distribute the ball, and rebound.

Against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, Holiday recorded 28 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists, and 1 steal. Holiday followed that up with 17 points, 8 rebounds, 10 assists, and, 2 steals against Orlando. In Wednesday’s home win over the Kings, he scored 31 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists.

This season when Holiday has started, the Bucks are 15-3 (.833). When he doesn’t start the Bucks are 3-3 (.500). Jrue did come off the bench in one game in which Milwaukee lost.

Holiday scoring increased slightly more this season at 18.9 points per game, which is his highest scoring average since joining Milwaukee. He’s also averaging 7.4 assists and 5.2 rebounds, both are highs with the Bucks with the rebounds being a career-high. Holiday also has 6 double-doubles this season so far.

ROLE PLAYERS

Pat Connaughton is getting in the groove of things while looking like himself doing Pat Connaughton things. Besides taking more shots to the face than any player I know, Connaughton is hustling, rebounding, defending, communicating, and showing leadership. All the things that make Pat special. Pat’s value is unmeasurable.

Bucks two-way player A.J. Green should be getting more minutes as the season go. Against the Hornets in 14 minutes, Green scored 8 points. 2-3 from the field while hitting both of his threes. Against the Magic, Green scored 12 points in ten minutes of action. He shot 4-6 from the two and went 3-5 from the three-point line.

GIANNIS

Giannis is being Giannis and isn’t showing any signs of letting up on the pressure.

Giannis is on an 8-game streak of scoring 30+ points. The last time Giannis scored under 30 points was November 18 versus the 76ers. Against the Lakers, he scored 40 points. On December 5 against the Magic, Antetokounmpo scored 34 points and pulled down 13 rebounds while dishing out 5 steals.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is in the top five of the MVP race averaging 32.0 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 5.6 APG, 1.0 BPG, and 1.2 SPG.

Milwaukee is 7-3 in their last 10 games and is currently on a 3-game winning streak.

The Buck’s next five games are against the Mavericks, Rockets, Warriors, Grizzlies, and Jazz.

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