SAD NEWS: Milwaukee Bucks two key player announced to leave two key player announced to leave

The Milwaukee Bucks just entered the NBA.

 

When the Milwaukee Bucks were eliminated in last year’s playoffs by the Miami Heat, they became the sixth No. 1 seed in NBA playoff history to be eliminated by the No. 8 top seed in the series.

Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo’s limitations as a forward have once again been exposed by a team that has protected him well in the past. This was partially due to editing the registry. For years, many people like me have been hoping that the Bucks would put Giannis in better situations and surround him with defenders who could maximize his strengths as a forward. And it happened.

The Milwaukee Bucks shocked the basketball world on Wednesday by completing a three-team trade to acquire guard Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers. Lillard was traded to Milwaukee as part of a trade with Portland and Phoenix.

Perhaps the most shocking part of this trade, besides the fact that Milwaukee acquired Lillard, they also acquired an unprotected 2029 first-round pick and Jrue Holiday, two trade candidates against Portland. That probably means they had to let Grayson Allen go.

Damian Lillard averaged 32.5 points per 75 possessions last season, finishing fourth in the NBA in adjusted points. He now joins Giannis Antetokounmpo, who finished second in the league with 34.6 points in 75 games. But this deadly combination of two dangerous scorers does more than just score in the box.

These two complement each other perfectly. Giannis is one of the best scorers in league history, consistently hitting 75% of his shots at the rim on 12-13 attempts per game. That compares with the best records of Shaquille O’Neal and LeBron James, who also had similar production rates of about 74-75%.

During the transition period, the team even developed what became known as the “Giannis Wall,” where teams would pack the paint to prevent it from touching the basket. Nick Nurse and the Toronto Raptors first tried this in 2019 with considerable success. From then on, many teams continued to try as well, as the Bucks had no other players to create an advantage.

Meanwhile, in Portland, Damian Lillard wasted his best years on a team that couldn’t play defense and couldn’t provide a second shot creator other than C.J.

McCollum. Over the past three years, Lillard has had historically strong performances against losing teams. In Game 5 of the 2021 Playoffs against the Denver Nuggets, Damian Lillard had the most efficient 50+ point game in playoff history, scoring 55 points on nearly 97% shooting. He also set a playoff single-game record with 12 three-pointers.

Lillard is one of the best shooters in league history and can shoot from 40 feet. Because of this, teams counter his threat of scoring by keeping him in the half court.

That’s when Lillard showed off his game. I’m not a fan of assist stats at all, but Lillard finished 10th in the league last year and fourth in shot creation percentage. Simply put, Lillard is a top-five forward in the league. The team tied with Portland multiple times last season in an effort to neutralize Damian Lillard.

Now that one of the best shooters of all time is paired with one of the best painters of all time, I don’t see how teams can guard these two, especially when using the pick-and-roll. This brings us to the third player of this new big three, Khris Middleton. Middleton may not be on the level of Giannis or Lillard, but he is a star player who has been with the Bucks for over a decade.

He was the team’s best shot creator in 2021 as they won the NBA Championship. Although his effectiveness has been limited recently due to injuries, Middleton is a very good mid-range 3-point shooter and gives this team the versatility needed to pair with Lillard and Antetokounmpo.

Milwaukee Bucks head coach Adrain Griffin has been able to run pick-and-rolls in Spain with Lillard as his primary ball handler, allowing him to score many points, including Giannis rolling to the basket and Khris Middleton covering and going three-on. Can utilize power and playmaking threats. – Dotted line.

They will be surrounded by strong shooting forwards in Brook Lopez, one of the top five in the league. This could be one of the most creative, beautiful, unstoppable chaos we’ve ever seen.

Obviously, concerns with the Bucs’ defense on offense are a major concern at the moment, but the team has a unique turnover coverage scheme that could mask some of those issues, at least during the regular season.

There is. At this point, it’s no exaggeration to say that the Bucks have formed a duo that has a chance to create the best offense of all time, making Milwaukee a championship contender.