Role players at the end of the bench may take on completely different forms in different environments. Bemburi played well with the Nets, defensive hardness was scarce in the Nets' backcourt, and Carter looked useless. The Nets cut them in order to free up the quota, and then the Bucks completed the takeover, the two reversed their situation here, Carter suddenly went on a three-point rampage, 10 of 19 three-pointers in 7 games, although the two-point shot was still wasted, but as a "scrap" backcourt supporting role, playing in the Bucks, the first task to complete was to shoot three points.
The Bucks' need for supporting roles is simple and clear, and they can try it by shooting three points, and this demand is concentrated in the center and the shooting guard, for the simple reason that these are two positions outside the Big Three.
In a sense, as long as the Big Three are there, the Bucks structure lineup does not need to use too much brain. Alphabet brother has the explosive impact of the mountain splitting stone, Holliday and Middleton, one to give him the ball, one to provide a hard solution, alone to lead the team have the ability to score and pass, develop the basic ability required for the attack is complete, three people interspersed with use, 48 minutes to ensure that there is a protagonist. This foundation is there, and the supporting role only needs to pull away the space without delaying things, and the ball can be played.
It is not difficult to configure a scoring guard who can shoot three points, as long as you do not pursue the development ability, you do not need the diversity of defense, find a three-pointer who can shoot empty positions, and the alignment defense is not too pitted, this threshold is not high. So, DiVinchenzo was injured, the Bucks could still survive on Connaughton to the end, Forbes' defensive problems were a little bigger, and the Bucks didn't keep him. The Bucks have point guards in their hands who meet their basic needs, Grayson Allen, Connaughton, Matthews, Carter, Connaughton to raise for a while, and this position is still available.
The bucks' difficulty is not that they seem to be the "weakest link", but behind the strong point, there is no backup. The Big Three don't really have a substitute, and the Big Three Gabotis wants to replace each other with functionality, provided that all 4 are there, guaranteeing 48 minutes of coverage. Once someone is absent, the bucks are ugly. Holliday did not play 4 wins and 9 losses, Alphabet Brother missed 5 wins and 6 losses, and Midou missed 4 wins and 7 losses. Of course, there are some games in it, and the Big Three are not just missing one.
The big three teams, after the giants and then put the poor version of the replica, also seems unrealistic. In the preseason, Enwora broke out, seemingly allowing the Bucks to find a new growth point, and then found that they could not report too high expectations. Hood didn't play it again, which meant that the functionality of Middleton's solution was still unique. Relatively speaking, it is not difficult to find a backup point guard, but Hill has proved that he is becoming less and less of a point guard, and the Bucks have no relationship advantage in the Dragic scramble, so Holliday has become the most difficult point for the Bucks to replace. As for Giannis, he is special, and naturally he can't talk about backups.
Compared with the most domineering two years of the regular season, the Bucks are increasingly lacking in endurance. This phenomenon is not surprising, the core salary inflation, the lack of dividend contracts brought by the stud draft picks, will inevitably make the depth of the championship team go down, if it is not Portis's unexpected low-priced contract extension, starting to pour Big Luo, I am afraid it is enough to drink a pot. The Bucks have recently gradually retraced to their ideal state, winning six consecutive games in a difficult schedule, but Ibaka, who is the temporary third tower, has lost points in the last 6 games (-1.5 points), which is in stark contrast to the plus-minus (+9.2~+14.3) of the Big Three and Portis explosions, once again hinting at where the Bucks' problems are.
Yes, the center is the Bucks' tightest position because there aren't many 3D centers that meet the Bucks' needs. The Bucks tried Cousins and got Ibaka at some cost, but the results were not satisfactory. Da Luo's injury has become the Bucks' biggest hidden danger this season, and his state after his return has also greatly affected the outcome of this season's Eastern Conference playoffs. The result of the lack of this strong point is that the Bucks' previous three-tower rotation mode is gone, and while there is no one behind the alphabet, he has to further fill the gap left by Da Luo.
Therefore, the three-point line is actually not fatal, after the rise of the Bucks, the three-point line has been exploded, the key is to sacrifice what is obtained after the three-point line. In the 18-19 season and the 19-20 season, the Bucks can completely block the basket, limiting the frequency of the opponent's basket and shooting rate is the best in the league. In the 20-21 season, the Bucks began to try more tricks, and the regular season failed to maintain this advantage, but the playoffs proved that they could do the same when the rotation was full of intensity. This season, the Bucks opponent's basket shooting rate has risen, and the big Luo + letter double insurance is missing, and the effect is discounted.
However, while the defense slipped, the Bucks' offense was more reliable. While the Bucks' offensive efficiency is not as efficient as last season in absolute terms, Alphabet's own stats haven't changed much. But against the Bucks, defensive strategy is harder to do because Portis is deadly, and most of the Bucks' shooters in the No. 2 position can't be put down — the core rotation with the lowest three-point shooting rate next to alphabet is Middleton, and everyone else is around 40 percent — adding troops to alphabet is more likely to be punished, which means that teams with tight resources can hardly effectively limit the Bucks' offense in a series. Teams that don't hoard the size of the interior, against the Bucks, need some luck.
Indeed, the Bucks were less dominant than in the past, and The absence of Da Luo left a corner of the system that sealed off the paint. But Portis and a bunch of well-projected Number twos provide excellent space, ensuring the Bucks can maintain their standards on the offensive end. When the Big Three and Portis are on the floor at the same time, the Bucks beat their opponents by 17.3 points per 100 rounds, a rare dominant foursome in the league, covering a number of functions such as hammer baskets, organizing offense, hard mid-range, basket sweeping, offensive and defensive rebounds, space five positions, and upline alignment. It can be said that the essence of the Bucks' entire team is condensed in the core 4-man group, and the others are just tool people who can shoot three points.
But when Portis wasn't there and the Big Three were there, the Bucks could only win 6.1 points per 100 possessions. Of course, this is not bad, but this is a report card that contributes together with the vast majority of salaries, and without a center, it will be so much worse, I am afraid it will not be satisfactory. The Bucks' excellent rotation in the front court is still too scarce, as mentioned earlier, they not only do not have Da luo, there is no qualified No. 3 and No. 4 bench, the most manpower is the no. 2 position of pure tool man, and this kind of player is precisely the type with the lowest impact of the game, the Bucks' strength is oversized size, heavy hammer, space and hard solution, in order to achieve this goal, the Bucks need a sufficient number of reliable frontcourt, even if it is not Da luo, it should be another excellent player above the 3 position.
So, the problem seems complex and very simple. Big Luo is coming back, providing the basket is only one aspect, the key is that the Bucks need the most frontcourt manpower, so that their advantage has continuity, and then crush those who encounter opponents who suffer losses in each of their positions.
Since last year's playoffs, the Bucks have changed from the team that fought in the past in terms of rotation time and played the pseudo-depth card to a team that fought the core rotation and played only 7 and a half people in the end. The change isn't a bad thing, the Bucks rely more on the top players, and that's what the playoffs should be, you need the guys on the team who take the most money to win. If you have the best 8-9 rotation, you're more likely to have the last laugh. The strength of the Big Three + Portis, the strength of the 4-man group, only a few teams in the league can match. After The return of Da Luo, if the state is OK, the Bucks have added another person to this level, with Connaughton, Allen, Hill and other players who do not drag their legs, they are still strong and balanced.
But if Big Luo is not OK, the Bucks are not as simple as a basket guard, and they have a dead end in the frontcourt, giving the opponent time to breathe.
In a sense, the back of the two important interior lines is the biggest suspense that has not yet been solved in the East and West playoffs.