Giannis - Top Inside Scorer In the World (By a Long Shot)

His length and athleticism is unparalleled and gives him the ability to dunk in and over and around people because of his reach. 

Much like Shaq could just overpower opponents down low Giannis is having a similar impact in that for the most part once he’s within 10 feet of the hoop you will rarely stop him or slow him down. 

Really good article on the Bucks.

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/...eat-giannis-brooding

Thanks for posting the links. Here's another article that really gets into details on Bud's offensive and defensive schemes - and why Lopez may be a liability against the Raptors, Celtics, and Pacers but a major asset against most other teams.

https://www.theringer.com/nba/...-giannis-budenholzer

From the article: With Lopez, they have what would be the highest offensive ranking in NBA history. They also are a much better defensive team with him on the floor against most teams.

The Bucks have been a different team with him on the floor. They go from having what would be the highest offensive rating in NBA history with him (115.6 in 832 minutes) to a bottom-five offense in the league without him (103.9 in 618 minutes).

Budenholzer scrapped the team’s high-risk, high-reward defensive scheme from last season, which blitzed pick-and-rolls with multiple defenders but left gaps open behind the play, in favor of a more conservative one built around Lopez’s ability to seal off the paint. The change has worked. They have skyrocketed from the no. 18–rated defense in the NBA all the way up to no. 5.

 

What's the downside?

He isn't quick enough to get out and guard big guys that can shoot from outside like himself.

He is one of seven players, along with Anthony Davis, Rudy Gobert, Clint Capela, Al Horford, Myles Turner, and Maxi Kleber, with both a block rate higher than 5 percent and an average of fewer than 3.5 fouls per 36 minutes of playing time.

Unfortunately for Milwaukee, Lopez isn’t nearly as athletic as the other six players on that list. Budenholzer has put him in a scheme that covers up his weaknesses, but it does have an Achilles’ heel that has already been exploited in the Bucks’ games against the other top teams in the Eastern Conference. Dropping Lopez so far back in the paint on the pick-and-roll means there’s no one to contest the shot of a big man who pops to the 3-point line instead of rolling to the rim. The great irony of how the Bucks have been using him is that it makes them vulnerable to guys who play exactly like him. Horford (Boston) and Serge Ibaka (Toronto) have taken a career-high number of 3s in their last games against the Bucks; Turner (Indiana) had a season high in his. These shots might as well be target practice

So what happens when Lopez sits?

The Bucks have had to restructure their lineup around Giannis in the minutes when Lopez sits. Those lineups have succeeded in spite of their woeful offense by clamping down on defense, with a minuscule rating of 93.8 that would lead the league by 7.9 points. Giannis, at 6-foot-11 and 242 pounds with a 7-foot-3 wingspan, is an absurd athlete who can cover up the floor and defend all five positions with ease. Put four other high-level athletes around him, and they can lock up teams. Milwaukee essentially has two identities it can toggle between: a dominant offensive team that has one glaring defensive weakness with Lopez and a dominant defensive team looking to score just enough to survive with Giannis.

Highest offense with Lopez to a bottom 5 without him.  That's amazing.  Thankfully, the lineup without him has a stellar defense!

I'll be much more observant of when Lopez is in or out of the lineup.

They need one guy to put them at Championship level. ONE.

Anthony Davis - Will he go to LA? Probably, but let's dream for a minute....

Giannis | Davis | Bledsoe | Brogdon | Middleton - rotate Lopez / Snell / DJW, etc

Good luck.

Now the problem is making them all happy with a contract that works for the team.

If I am Davis maybe I don’t go to to the Lakers.  The Clippers might actually be more appealing.  They are the rare team that could add two superstars like KD and Kawhi and very possibly could shoehorn in Davis as well.  

The Nets are positioned the same way- lots  of cap space in a big market but yet still overshadowed by the local legacy team (Knicks).  They can also add two max guys and if they get creative maybe even Davis as well. 

That all being said - if Davis were to join Milwaukee and they could retain most of their core (such as Brogdon and Middleton or Brogdon and Bledsoe) they are automaicallly the favorites.  Not just in the East but the NBA.  No one could match up with them in the front court. 

MichiganPacker posted:

 

Milwaukee essentially has two identities it can toggle between: a dominant offensive team that has one glaring defensive weakness with Lopez and a dominant defensive team looking to score just enough to survive with Giannis.

Great article. This is why the development of Wood and DJW is so critical. If they can offer those missing elements, they are going to be really tough to stop. And score on.