Milwaukee Bucks received a dose of wonderful news on Thursday with the announcement that Damian Lillard is not thinners, used to treat deep veins in the right veal and was removed to act to act in the game. Of course, he will need time to return to the shape of basketball and is to miss the beginning of the first round of Bucks from Indiana Pacers.
After playing the last 14 matches without Lillard, Bucks will now have to move in his absence through the 7-gier series, in which the opponent can easily find and reveal weaknesses than in the single matches of the regular season. What weapons can they exploit to balance the loss of the band’s star?
Milwaukee Bucks was successful at the at the beginning of 5
What they do and works. Doc Rivers used some unusual but effective depots down. Bucks ended with a series of winnings in 8 matches, which started five Giannis Antetokunmpo, Kyle Kuzma, Brook Lopez, Taurean Prince and Ryan Rollins. The latter is the only guard among them. Apart from Giannis, this is not a group of names to cause fear in enemies.
But maintaining players such as Prince and Rollins in the starting unit gives the team a misleading depth. After returning due to the suspension of 25 matches, Bobby Portis scored an average of 16.3 points and 8.7 rebounds in three matches.
Kevin Porter Jr. He became the Swiss general of the army floor from the second unit. On the section of five matches To finish his season, he put 20.2 points to the competition to go to 6.6 rebounds and 6.2 assists, while noting 5 thefts in matches.
Gary Trent Jr. and AJ Green provide a fatal grade from the bench; These are two of the four bucks, along with Prince and Porter Jr., shooting over 40% this season. As a Milwaukee team, he led the league at three percentage points (38.7%). Especially without Lillard, they accepted the offensive identity based on Giannis playing at the point and spraying of the scorers from double teams and traps.
It is unlikely that the rivers will shake the boat in the game 1. Why would he have? But it is also very possible that Lillard misses more than one game – maybe the whole series. And it is possible that Pacers’ defense, 14 in defensive rating, but playing with the intensity of Play -Ff, may effectively tear Antetokunmpo and declare Milwaukee crime. After tip at 13:00 ET on Saturday, Indiana will have five full days to digest the Bucks program during film sessions. Rivers can be forced to change.
Impact as compensation if the lack of Damian Lillard becomes a problem
If Dame can’t come back – emphasis – the band can be desperate to create a shot. The rivers should not hesitate to start stagnation by putting one of their guards bench – Drent, preferably or porter – in the composition. This would not be perfect because the rivers prefer Porter, and Trent is a pure two -story. But with narrow options, the very fact that Trent can produce its own shot can be of great value.
In Toronto, he shot over 16 PPG each season in 2021-23. None of the current starters can make a velvety third step. Trent can do it and it can do it in beams.
Alternatively, although the porter works so well outside the bench, if Bucks hardly catch catching the facilitator, he could be a lifeguard as the only energetic point of the list.
Indeed, apart from Giannis, no one else at the beginning of the fifth is near the facilitating type. Kuzma can facilitate to some extent, but he is not a point guard and an average shooter; He works better as a slasher than the creator of the shot. Trent is probably better matched, but Rivers may end up pairing Porter Jr. With Giannis from the opening whistle to give the band more juice from the gate and relieve the burden of their star.
RIn any case, Porter played in minutes of the starter, logging in thirty or more in three of the last five matches. And because Portis also plays a reserve role, the conversion of Prince to Trent or Porter would not exhaust the Milwaukee tank from the bench’s scoring.
The best scenario is that Lillard returns after just a match or two. How uncertain it is, but given his stunning phrase, everything is credible. However, if he is unable to come back and something goes wrong, Bucks fans should comfort themselves with the fact that they have guys who hit the team, stop bleeding and win several games.
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