Fansided

NBA Season Preview 2018-19: Every team’s biggest question

By Ben Ladner

PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 16: Markelle Fultz #20 of the Philadelphia 76ers looks on during the game against the Miami Heat in Game Two of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 16, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 16: Markelle Fultz #20 of the Philadelphia 76ers looks on during the game against the Miami Heat in Game Two of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 16, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Budenholzer
DETROIT, MI – NOVEMBER 10: Head coach Mike Budenholzer of the Atlanta Hawks looks on from the bench while playing the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena on November 10, 2017 in Detroit, Michigan. Detroit won the game 111-104. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

Milwaukee Bucks: How much of a difference will Mike Budenholzer make?

The Jason Kidd era – and by extension, the Joe Prunty era – was characterized by an overzealousness in attempting to maximize every advantage. Particularly on defense, Kidd’s desire to play aggressively and unconventionally instead played like an attempt to outsmart himself. The Bucks would eschew logical principles in favor of something more daring that, if not executed precisely, often backfired. In attempt to trap every pick-and-roll and maximize transition opportunities, Milwaukee frequently surrendered open 3-pointers and layups. Frantically overhelping and doubling the ball forced longer and more frequent rotations, resulting in wide-open shots for opponents.

Budenholzer should exercise more restraint and deploy his personnel more responsibly. While his Hawks ran a similarly aggressive defensive scheme in 2016, they did so out of necessity – a lack of a lockdown wing and conventional rim protector forced Budenholzer to get creative – and executed far better than Kidd’s Bucks. Milwaukee has more length and athleticism than those Hawks did, and can make a more conservative defensive scheme feel suffocating. A dialed-back defensive scheme should also provide a boost on the glass and help Milwaukee cut down on fouls, areas where Milwaukee struggled mightily last year. Some of the most important elements of team defense are also the most subtle. With more discipline and better coaching, Milwaukee should patch up the microfractures that often collapsed its defense vault into at least the top half of the league in defensive efficiency.

Meanwhile, the components of a well-functioning offense are already in place. Giannis Antetokounmpo has become one of the best all-around players in the NBA and will be flanked by shooters and secondary playmakers like Khris Middleton, Eric Bledsoe, Malcolm Brogdon and Tony Snell. The Bucks ranked ninth in offensive rating last year despite being one of the most 3-point-averse teams in the NBA, and nearly every player in the rotation should take a step forward in 2019. Lineups with Antetokounmpo at center were surprisingly ineffective last season, but that look represents a new realm of possibilities if Budenholzer can successfully employ it.

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