![]() ![]() I know it’s still early in the season and maintaining a sturdy defensive mindset all season long is not an easy feat, but if we can somehow manage to do it, we will set ourselves up for success when it’s time to feast at the playoff table. The Bucks are also sporting the second-best mark in the league for Opponent Floor Shooting %, only allowing 44.8% of the other team’s shots to find the bottom of the net. Add in Jevon Carter and his #treadmillmentality, and you’ve got yourself a bonafide wall of problems…if you’re the opposing team. In addition to having a center who is currently leading the league in blocks/game, we have two-time DPOY Giannis Antetokounmpo swarming the paint, and shoulda-been-in-contention-for-the-DPOY-award-a-long-time-ago Jrue Holiday hounding guards on the perimeter. Wanna score against Milwaukee? You better come correct, because these players are locked in. Since the jump, the Bucks have boasted the league’s best defense, with a rating of 107.47. We can’t even begin to talk about team success in Milwaukee until we discuss their defense. What's a king to god? /mfoseRgxIw- Milwaukee Bucks DecemTHE X FACTORS I mean, who in their right mind want to guard this? A perennial MVP candidate who will make you pay if you don’t respect him enough to double or triple team him in the paint, Antetokounmpo is soooo stinking good and we should count our lucky stars that he plays with us, instead of against us. ![]() Free throws will probably be a “focus area” for Giannis for the rest of his career, but if he can shoot above 70% at the line consistently enough, it will help prevent teams from Hack-a-Freak’ing.īesides his dip in free throw efficiency, Giannis is doing what Giannis does. He’s been tweaking his FT routine, but still continues to take way too much time centering himself - he even got hit with a 10-second violation at the line on Friday vs. Even though he’s been solid at the line for the last few games, 61.4% is the worst mark of his career and over 10% less than what he averaged last season. The one and only major difference is his charity stripe numbers. Consistency is at it again putting up very similar numbers to what he averaged at the end of last season. In 12 of the 18 games he played, he scored 30 or more points (3 games at 40+).He ended the quarter on a 6-game streak of 30+ point games.He rested for 4 games during this quarter.In 32.9 minutes/game the Greek Freak is averaging the following:ģ1.8 points, 11.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 54.2 FG%, 61.4 FT%, 1.0 blocks, 3.7 TO’s So Giannis will have his own section in our Quarterly Reports - because as he goes, so do the Bucks. It’s a given that he, all by himself, is an X factor. So it’s a given that he’s going to be a standout. Let’s be honest with ourselves - the dude is not only one of the best basketball players hooping today, but he’s quite possibly one of the best ever. The Giannis Quarterly Report is a thing because it feels silly to include Giannis in the Standouts section. Let’s take a moment to look at three categories that tell the story of Milwaukee’s early success - The “GQ” Report, The X Factors, and The Standouts. Thankfully neither Giannis or Jrue sat out for long, and both Khris Middleton and Pat Connaughton have made their returns from injury. In fact, we saw the effects of what would happen if we lost more of our starters right after our 9-0 start, when we played multiple games without Giannis and Jrue in the lineup. The schedule indeed gets tougher as we go, but we should appreciate the blessing of a slightly easier schedule to open things up while some longer-term injuries heal. Quarter 4: 9 home games, 11 away games (including a 4-game road trip) Quarter 2: 7 home games, 13 away games (including a 5-game road trip) Quarter 1: 14 home games, 8 away games (including a 6-game home stand) ![]() Let’s take a quick look at the four quarters: Sure, there’s an argument to be had that this was our easiest stretch of games, if only because we won’t ever see this many home games again during another quarter of the season. Bucks fans should be pleasantly surprised that things have gone so swimmingly, given that we’ve been without our consensus second-best player for 21 of the 22 games. FIRST QUARTER SUMMARYĢ2 games in, the Bucks are sitting at an impressive 16-6, and we’ve done it without Khris Middleton and offseason acquisition Joe Ingles (Khris did make his debut against the Lakers on Friday, and he looked great.too bad we couldn’t get the W). Let’s take a look at how the first 22 games have gone for the Bucks, why they’ve gone that way, and who has stepped up in the name of winning. It’s strange to think that the season is already 25% finished, but that’s the truth - and that means it’s time for Brew Hoop’s Quarterly Report. The appetizer before the four-course meal. ![]() If the entire NBA season were a single NBA game, we would’ve just finished the first quarter. ![]()
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