The Milwaukee Bucks ended the regular season on an eight-game winning streak that gave them a rosier postseason outlook than fans expected.
On Thursday afternoon, Damian Lillard was cleared of his deep vein thrombosis after missing the final 14 games of the season. During the regular season, the Bucks went 3-1 against the Pacers. However, they’ll still begin their first-round series on the road against the team that eliminated them a year ago. Milwaukee should tread lightly because the Pacers are a threat. This time, the pillar of Milwaukee's franchise will be healthy, but Lillard is still ramping up his activity. Here are three factors Indiana has that should have the Bucks quivering.
Tyrese Haliburton
Tyrese Haliburton is a perpetual threat to the Bucks’ defense. His playmaking skills are sharp as a knife and deleterious enough to bleed a defense dry. Over the years, he’s been a consistent thorn in the Bucks’ sides. After a slow start to the season, Indiana’s stock car offense picked up steam in the second half of its 82-game campaign.
The Pacers rank fifth in the NBA in very early offense — shots taken within six seconds of a possession. The Bucks are near the bottom of the league. Their slow, plodding offense can score quickly and in a hurry. In a seven-game series, Carlisle has a bounty of tools at his disposal and an experienced floor general who can execute their attack plan.
Andrew Nembard’s defensive
Put aside their cartoonish offensive outburst. The depiction of Indiana as a cotton candy defense that can be bullied on the offensive end is outdated. Since the All-Star break, Indiana has been a top-10 defense. While Giannis Antetokounmpo has still been able to post big numbers against the Pacers, his advantage may have dwindled as the Pacers have become stout on that end.
Andrew Nembhard has established himself as a gnat on Indiana’s defensive perimeter. In January, he was named the Eastern Conference Defensive Player of the Month. It's not a coincidence that their second-half resurgence coincided with Nembhard returning to the lineup. The Pacers were 44-21 with the 25-year-old in the lineup.
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Offensive depth
The Pacers possess the sort of offensive depth that would be raved about if they had a superstar of Antetokounmpo’s caliber who could supplement Haliburton and raise their floor. Pascal Siakam, Obi Toppin, Jarace Walker, Haliburton, Aaron Nesmith and Myles Turner are all above-average shooters from deep. Ben Mathurin is a certified bucket who shot above the league average last season.
They don’t have a secondary scorer who can fill it up to the degree most contending teams can. However, they’re an ensemble cast.
According to Second Spectrum tracking. Indiana averaged more passes per 24 minutes of possession than any team in the last seven seasons. That depth extends to their bench. A year ago, their bench outscored the Pacers 50-10 in Game 6, revealing the shallowness of Milwaukee's second unit.