March 18, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) dribbles the basketball against Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) during the second quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Bucks 117-92. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
The Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers faced off in the NBA Finals for the third straight season. What can the Milwaukee Bucks learn from their battles?
The Milwaukee Bucks have a strong collection of young talent, centered around a rising superstar in Giannis Antetokounmpo. More than many other teams, they have hope to reach the NBA Finals in the near future.
To do so will require growth from their current roster, and additions through draft, trades and free agency. Not only do the players need to continue to grow, but the organization itself must be proactive in making changes that will move the team in the right direction.
That's where the 2017 NBA Finals come in — the third installment of this century's greatest rivalry. Not only did the world's top stars face off, but every part of the series, from bench rotations to defensive schemes to individual shots, provided a window into how a team reaches and wins the NBA Finals.
While no two teams are alike, there is plenty for the Bucks to learn from both the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers. What sets these teams apart from others? And how can Milwaukee absorb the takeaways and become a better team?
Feb 3, 2017; Denver, CO, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Malcolm Brogdon (13) shoots the ball during the first half against the Denver Nuggets at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
Value of shooting
The 2017 NBA Finals pitted two of the very best offenses in NBA history against each other, and the results were high scores and plenty of highlight plays. While both teams had the ability to score at all three levels, the key to unlocking those numbers was an abundance of shooting.
For the Warriors, their entire offense is centered on shooting, with three of the best shooters in NBA history roaming the perimeter. The vaunted Death Lineup is so potent because it combines five capable-at-worst shooters without sacrificing defense.
The Milwaukee Bucks have a number of long, versatile defenders that can guard multiple positions. But offensively, most of their best players struggle to hit shots from outside, and their roster as currently constructed trots out only one or two true shooters at a time.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have a variety of offensive attacks, but one of their most dangerous is when LeBron James posts up with four shooters spreading the floor around him. He can back down a single defender, or move the ball to an open shooter if the defense decides to double.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has the passing ability to run similar sets, and the length to score over almost anyone in the paint. But he rarely has four shooters around him, making a double-team much easier for a smart defense to execute.
If Thon Maker develops the three-point shot he flashed at times during his rookie season, the makings of a four-out lineup are within reach. Malcolm Brogdon should continue to adjust to three-point range, and Jabari Parker was in the process of adding deep range to his jumper prior to his injury.
With the NBA Draft in the rearview mirror the Bucks had a chance to address this weakness directly. D.J. Wilson is a stretch-4 with upside to hit shots outside, while second round pick Sterling Brown was a college sniper. Free agency could see a player such as Ian Clark or Patty Mills join the roster to address that need as well.
However the team looks to improve its shooting — internal development, draft or free agency — it's clear that this is the biggest difference between title contenders and the Milwaukee Bucks.
Mar 23, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) defends Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) in the first quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Power of the point forward
Back in the 1980s, a Milwaukee Buck introduced the league to the "point forward" – a wing-sized player who guards wings but handles the ball on offense. Paul Pressey started a wave of forwards filling this role. LeBron James redefined it and raised it to excellence.
LeBron James averaged a triple-double for the entire NBA Finals, the first player in NBA history to do so. He averaged 8.7 assists per game in the regular season, a career-high mark for the King; for his career James has averaged 7.0 assists per game. Among players 6'8″ and taller, he ranks second in career assists to only Magic Johnson.
James' ability to throw pinpoint passes at incredible velocities unlocked offense for the Cavaliers, because defenses could never completely close off passing lanes. He could fire blistering fastballs at seemingly every angle, or bounce passes through a sea of limbs directly to his target. Passes like his make any defense look incompetent.
The Golden State Warriors have a pair of point forwards themselves in Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala. Green is able to secure rebounds and immediately jumpstart a fast break, pushing the ball up the court despite playing at the 4 and 5. Iguodala is one of the league's very best bench players and a key part of Golden State's core and passing philosophy.
Many teams in the league would love to deploy a multi-faceted forward who can throw pinpoint passes and guard multiple positions. The Milwaukee Bucks are unique in that they can boast one of those rare players themselves.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is a physical marvel, 6'11" with the vision and moves of a much smaller player. He is listed under three different positions on basketball reference, and yet none are the position he started at for much of the season last year. His versatility on the court unlocks innumerable lineup options for Jason Kidd and the Milwaukee coaching staff.
Antetokounmpo's role moving forward will most likely be at the 4 — in other words, none of his listed positions! His length and athleticism give him the ability to guard every position, and the keys to the offense have been placed his hands. Much like players on both Finals teams, initiating offense from the wing can open up options across the roster.
Apr 20, 2017; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Thon Maker (7) takes a shot against Toronto Raptors forward Serge Ibaka (9) in the third quarter in game three of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
A new generation of centers
Two seasons ago, the Golden State Warriors won the NBA Finals on the back of a move that shattered conventional thought and spawned a new era of roster construction. By removing a traditional center in Andrew Bogut from the lineup, and replacing him with a wing (Andre Iguodala), the Warriors began the small-ball revolution.
Draymond Green is uniquely gifted for the role of small-ball center, as he can pass, dribble and plays perennially excellent defense. Although he gives up some inches to every center he guards, he makes up for them in savvy and intensity.
The uniqueness of Draymond Green makes lineups possible for Golden State, but that doesn't mean teams are left without a lesson to be learned. The down-shifting of lineups occurred even further during the NBA Finals, with wings LeBron James and Kevin Durant playing traditional centers off the court when deployed at the 5.
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A player such as Thon Maker gives the Bucks an option who opens up the offense while not sacrificing defense — and has traditional center size. That's the true cheat code of the modern NBA center. His potential to combine lateral quickness and shot-blocking with floor-spacing and ball movement is the key to the Bucks reaching their potential.
But the beauty of this roster is that Maker is not their only path to such lineups – Antetokounmpo is as well. At 6'11", the Greek Freak can be deployed at center by head coach Jason Kidd, surrounding him with long defenders able to space the floor.
Suddenly a version of the "Death Lineup" blooms in Wisconsin, and it's fearsome to behold in its own right. When the chips are down, the Bucks have cards to play.
Apr 18, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton (22) dribbles the ball past Toronto Raptors guard Cory Joseph (6) in game two of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Need for two-way players
The Golden State Warriors rose from historically-great to an even higher level when they signed Kevin Durant last summer, in part because they simply added another superstar talent. But another reason is that the Warriors eliminated one-way players from their closing lineup.
In the 2016 NBA Finals, the Cleveland Cavaliers effectively ignored Harrison Barnes on the outside, and he shot 5-for-32 during the Cavaliers' three-game win streak to win the title. Barnes was not able to make the opponent pay for slighting him, rendering his defensive contributions close to irrelevant.
This season, the Warriors brought no such players to the table, as their "Hamptons Five" best lineup featured a quintet of two-way players. With Stephen Curry fully healthy there were no defensive weaknesses, and with Durant taking Barnes' spot there were no offensive weaknesses. The Cavaliers could not keep up.
On their own end, Cleveland struggled to excise one-way players from its rotation but simply didn't have enough bodies. Kevin Love was crucial on the glass and in spacing the floor, but he's a defensive liability. Tristan Thompson was schemed out of an offensive impact. Iman Shumpert and Deron Williams were liabilities that Cleveland had to give minutes to.
The Milwaukee Bucks have prized defensive versatility, but they have to shore up their rotation with plus defenders who can also provide offensive value. A lack of scoring punch has meant the team leans on Greg Monroe to generate offense, a minus defender who gets attacked in the pick-and-roll.
For the Bucks to prepare for future postseasons where lofty goals are in reach, they need to continue building a rotation of two-way players. Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the league's best two-way stars, and Khris MIddleton fits that bill perfectly. Thon Maker at worst is a defensive plus without killing the offense; at best he's the perfect center for this concept.
As the Bucks approach free agency, they must incorporate all that they have learned. The game is changing, and those who wish to compete have to keep up. Filling a roster with versatile players who can affect the game at both ends is key, and finding core pieces who will not be played off the court.
If Milwaukee can increase its spacing while not sacrificing defensive versatility, they will build the kind of roster that excels in the postseason. With a two-way star in Giannis Antetokounmpo who fits perfectly the archetypes displayed in the NBA Finals, the Bucks have already taken one huge step in the right direction.
