Your biweekly (Buck)date — Happy Holiday(s) and more
We’re back once again, and not a moment too soon as the Bucks continue to solidify their accustomed standing near the top of the Eastern Conference.
At last glance Milwaukee was in the midst of a seven-game winning streak to close out the month of November. Now, with the holiday season firmly upon us, it’d be fair to say that Christmas cheer only continues to spread as the team carried with it a 12–2 record over its last 14 contests heading into Monday night’s trip to Boston.
As I’ve said since the inception of this series back when the 2021–22 NBA schedule had just gotten underway, the Bucks have all of the components (and credentials) of a championship contender. Barring shocking regression, all there really was to look for from a big picture perspective was how some of the ‘ancillary’ new pieces would mesh with the established pillars — health permitting of course.
But instead of looking through that wider lens, this latest Buck(date) edition will focus on a couple of more granular elements that a person is wont to pick up on courtesy of watching the same team operate at a high level night after night.
First, some odds and ends
On the aforementioned topic of health, Milwaukee has received news both good and bad of late.
The sour end of the spectrum involves the uncertain timetable for a return by starting center Brook Lopez post-back surgery less than two weeks ago.
Although there is optimism within the organization, per ESPN’s Zach Lowe, that Lopez may very well return before the playoffs in April, it’s still a bummer to see the big man sidelined even longer than the nearly two months he’s already been out thus far.
I mentioned two weeks ago how Bobby Portis’ excellence in a new starting role had helped to mitigate the absence of Lopez. Meanwhile, the pickup of DeMarcus Cousins could prove to be a nice supplementary presence on the interior as well — though I’d categorize the jury as still being out based on the small sample size thus far.
Thankfully, in addition to Giannis’ typical yeoman’s work on the glass, the Bucks have reestablished themselves of late as one of the premier rebounding teams in the league — even without the services of their stalwart seven-footer.
But on a far more positive note, Milwaukee is just days away from welcoming back guard Donte DiVincenzo, courtesy of The Athletic.
The established starter — and dogged two-way player — will only add more firepower to a back court that is already getting major contributions from the likes of Grayson Allen and Pat Connaughton.
The (Jrue) Holiday spirit
It has been pretty well established how much of an impact last winter’s major offseason addition Jrue Holiday had on the Bucks and their eventual title-winning run.
That said, watching his game on a nightly basis only goes to reinforce how his diverse skillset consistently affects winning in ways that other players simply do not.
So why not spend some time highlighting it here?
We all know that defense is Holiday’s biggest calling card, and rightfully so. However, his ability to create for/find his teammates like this is well worth a shoutout of its own:
Meanwhile, the combination of strength/creativity he packs into his six-foot-three, 205-pound frame allows him to finish around the basket in all sorts of fun ways, especially using his favored left hand.
He doesn’t seem to get bored of it either (even in the same game!), which is nice.
And when push comes to shove, he’s more than happy to start and finish a play with his timely efforts on both ends of the floor.
These clips are the Jrue Holiday experience in a nutshell.
It’s what makes him such a valuable piece for the Bucks game in and game out.
But lest the 13-year veteran (foolishly) be thought of as merely a jack-of-all-trades ‘third banana,’ he still showcases the ability to serve as an all-around focal point when called upon.
With Giannis out for a recent stretch against the Raptors and Heat, Holiday stepped to the forefront in a major fashion — helping to nearly steal a game late in Toronto and then conducting a comprehensive beating of Miami two days later.
The adaptability and commanding presence of its floor general are a major reason why Milwaukee has the goods to repeat as NBA champs.
For the love of the baseline
I can’t claim that the clip of the following three plays is here for much reason other than my own continued entertainment.
(You’ll be shocked to know that I’m going to go right ahead with it anyway.)
In watching Sunday’s game against the Knicks I found myself smitten with one particular first quarter bucket by Khris Middleton — prompting a quick rewind.
Less than two minutes of game action later I found myself repeating that same exact response.
And just moments into the second quarter it was déjà vu all over again — Middleton finds his spot in the mid-range baseline area of the floor, generates the space he needs to get off his shot, and buries it with aplomb.
The entire sequence couldn’t have spanned any more than 15 minutes of real time, yet it managed to perfectly encapsulate the methodology of a big-time scorer.
Middleton knows exactly where he wants to get to — hell, so does the defender in all likelihood — but neither his path nor his pace to getting there is set in stone.
It doesn’t matter whether he’s on the left or right side of the floor, operating with his back to the basket or facing up, shooting over either shoulder, etc.
He is in total control and has complete comfort with whatever might come his way.
This type of shot — and the overall scoring prowess that accompanies it — is hardly a surprise to those who watch Middleton on a regular basis.
That said, for anyone less familiar with his game I’d recommend this brief three-play excerpt as a pretty great summation of what makes the multi-time All-Star such a tough cover.
Closing out in style
As we wrap up this latest entry, I wanted to draw our collective attention back to the beginning of the month and the closing basket of what was an exhilarating game between the Bucks and the Hornets.
A back-and-forth affair all the way down the stretch, Milwaukee found itself inbounding the ball with just under six seconds to go in a tie game.
Now I’ll be frank in saying that a significant majority of these sorts of possessions for any team end in what I would generously describe as horrendous attempts (make or miss).
Not only do we so often default to ‘best player takes the last shot’ nonsense, but those same shots are typically low percentage looks from distance that fail to put the greatest amount of stress possible on both the primary defender and the team defense as a whole.
Luckily, in this particular instance what ultimately transpired couldn’t be any further from that same old tired trope.
Instead, head coach Mike Budenholzer drew up a phenomenal play that not only got his best player (and two-time MVP) the ball for a shot but did so in precisely the scenario that puts the fear of God in opposing players/coaches at all other 47 minutes and 54 seconds of a game against the Bucks.
The result? Giannis Antetokounmpo coming downhill at the basket one-on-one with a full head of steam — and no help defender(s) in the picture.
Opposing teams shape their entire gameplans around preventing this exact sort of situation from happening, and yet here it was in full form with just seconds to play and the outcome hanging in the balance.
Jrue Holiday sets screens for both Grayson Allen and Pat Connaughton, who must be attended to as both shot/lob threats by the defense, ensuring that he can then peel off to receive the ball from Middleton.
Meanwhile, Giannis makes a beeline from his original position out past half court and is whipped a pass by Holiday to set up his game-winning finish.
Antetokounmpo catches the ball just right of the top of the key at near full speed, leaving no time for any help defender to react in a consequential manner unless either Allen or Connaughton’s man should elect to leave one of the 41-plus percent three-point shooters for a wide-open corner look — where they’re perfectly stationed.
Simply put, it was a masterful design by Budenholzer that went flawlessly executed by the five-man unit out on the floor to give Milwaukee the win.
Unfortunately, I cannot claim that a similar degree of brilliance has gone into the making of this article, though I do hope it’s been an enjoyable read, nonetheless.
So, ‘till next time.