Though not necessarily stars, they do practically everything the Bucks need to eke out wins: they space the floor, play spirited defense irregardless of the matchup, and score timely buckets when the situation calls for it.Ĭonnaughton, a do-everything guard who recorded his best season from beyond the arc with a 39.5 percent three-point clip and 5.7 attempts per game, is never lacking in effort. It might not show up so loudly in the box score, but the grit and personality that Connaughton and Portis bring to the court have always had everything to do with Milwaukee’s success in the past two years. This offseason, the Bucks’ most effectual moves were perhaps not in their additions but in their maneuvering to keep the aforestated super-subs. Dog poundĪsk any assortment of Bucks fans, and a consensus immediately becomes clear: Pat Connaughton and Bobby Portis were integral to the team’s 2021 title run and are nearly just as important as the starters mentioned before them. He averaged the fifth-most blocks in the 2022 playoffs and was sorely missed throughout the regular season as evidenced by the team’s middling defense all season long. Though not part of the Bucks’ headlining trio, Brook Lopez deserves to be mentioned alongside them given the critical role he has played (and hopefully, will continue to play) for the team’s interior defense. Pound-for-pound, they’re still the best triumvirate in an association that erroneously believes you can never have too many pounds. They’re probably not going to go down as a “Big Three” in contrast to the titan trios lording over the association these days, and that’s perfectly okay. The big three led them to the win combining for 82 points in their road win! #FearTheDeer 30 PTS, 15 REB, 4 AST 23 PTS, 4 AST 29 PTS, 4 REB, 7 AST, 5 STL /Xn3C22n5WV- NBA March 15, 2022 There are no overlaps in their roles, and their skill sets allow them to play off each other in a way that makes each piece of the trio better. Their strength is not in their overall talent quotient but in their seamless cohesion. In games where the three are healthy enough to play together, they’re a safe bet to take on any other trio in a seven-game series. It’s almost destined to be a forgotten fact, but recent history proves this to be true: Milwaukee’s core trio in Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton, and Giannis Antetokounmpo are still one of the league’s most dominant units. What are the new-look Bucks looking like heading into this season, and do they have a chance to make another deep playoff run? The Big Three (and company) With the Cream City roster all but set, let’s take a look at the new pieces they acquired to plug the holes that were exposed by the Celtics. It wasn’t as humbling a defeat this time around, though, as the Giannis-led Bucks bowed out in seven games with a roster that just couldn’t generate enough offense without its smooth-shooting swingman in Khris Middleton to round out its triumvirate of stars. A year removed from their Finals heroics in Phoenix, the Bucks ultimately fell short against the Finals-bound Boston Celtics sans their best player. It’s been an eventful sort of offseason for the former NBA champions.
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