Don't Blink: Bucks Off to Best Start Since 2001

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If there’s any cure to the heartbreaking end that was the Brewers NLCS run, it may come at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks, who have started 4-0 for the first time since the 2001-2002 season led by Ray Allen and the Big Three. Now they are led by a once in a generation talent in Giannis Antetokounmpo and have come out firing on all cylinders to start the season. After escaping with a one-point win on the road in Charlotte last Wednesday night to open the season, Milwaukee has broken in the Fiserv Forum in style with three straight double-digit wins over the Pacers, Knicks and most recently the 76ers on national television Wednesday night.

In Bud We Trust

Perhaps the most underrated move of the entire offseason was the Bucks hiring of head coach Mike Budenholzer. Yes, he had a bit of a sour ending to his time in Atlanta last season, but that had a lot to do with a rebuilding mentality from inside the organization and a roster that just wasn’t built to win. Being able to bring his system and philosophy to the Bucks roster led by arguably the best player in the East along with other potential All-Stars seems like a match made in heaven. It’s evident how much he has already impacted the roster based on how much confidence this team is playing with. I know the season is still young and it’s a small sample-size, but I can’t remember seeing a Bucks team flow like this in a long time, maybe not ever.

The Bucks have turned a lot of heads thus far with their pace and how fast they are getting up and down the floor. They rank fourth in the NBA in points, 11th in field goal percentage and 10th in three-point percentage. Not to mention, they are fourth in point differential with a +11.0 by giving up 108.5 points per game. While that seems like a lot of points to give up, it can be attributed to pace and still adjusting to a new defensive scheme. When the Deer are scoring like the way they have, though, they are bound to give up points on the other end. That being said, they also rank in the top ten in offensive and defensive rating with a +10.0 net rating. Take all that data for what you will, but it sure means that the culture has officially made a dramatic change for the better and the Bucks are conforming to the new NBA. In short, the Bucks have certainly done their homework and found something that works.

Three Points is Better than Two

As I mentioned in my season preview, there has been a huge emphasis on outside shooting. So much that Milwaukee shot a franchise record 46 threes in their win over the Pacers in the home opener. The crazy thing is it was the first time in the 50-year history of the franchise that they shot more threes than twos in a game.

The Bucks have been so trigger happy from deep that they currently rank third in attempts while chucking up 40.8 per game. Going into this season, the Bucks had never shot more than 40 threes in a game in the entire history of the franchise. They have now eclipsed that mark in each of the last three games while making their fair share of them at 15.3 per game. The identity the Deer are brewing is no secret and it certainly fits in with the trend the league is going in.

What has been the most eye-opening to me is the start that Khris Middleton has been on picking up where he left off in the postseason. He’s averaging a casual 24.3 points per game on a whopping 51% field goal percentage and 58.1% (18-31) from downtown. I don’t know what got into Middleton this offseason but I love the way he’s been more assertive and willing to get his shot up in so many different ways. Whether it’s coming off a screen or dribble or pull up, he’s not shy in the least bit.

Giannis Being Giannis

How can I go on without mentioning the start the Greek Freak has had to his 2018-2019 MVP campaign? The 23-year-old is scoring with ease at 28.5 points per game while being more aggressive with 16.5 rebounds per game, which has led to him starting the fast-break and getting out in transition. His assist numbers are there at 6.8 per game and he has been active defensively with 1.8 blocks and a steal per game as well. He looks faster and stronger and is starting to recognize when to take over a game. That showed as he notched his first triple-double of the season in last night’s win over the 76ers with 32 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists along with three blocks and a couple steals in 37 minutes.

In Monday night’s win over the Knicks, his fourth quarter performance was off the charts as he scored 16 of his game-high 31 points while the Bucks pulled away from a New York team that had tied the game at 110 with 3:42 left to play. It wasn’t just Giannis, though, as the other members of the big three made their presence felt. Middleton poured in 30 points including a stellar 7-of-8 performance from distance while the rejuvenated Eric Bledsoe added a modest 16 points but more impressively dropped 13 dimes with a team leading +19 in 32 minutes.

Bledsoe has been quite the x-factor to start the season for Budenholzer and his staff. The 28-year-old received a lot of flack for being “outplayed” by Celtics point guard Terry Rozier throughout the seven-game first round playoff series this past season. Bledsoe, who will be a free agent come next summer, has put that series behind him and found his game under the new regime averaging 15.8 points, while shooting a healthy 47.1% from the floor. The energy he brings on both ends has been a key component to the Bucks starting the season in the top ten in the league in pace of play, which has led to easy baskets in transition.

Bottom Line

I understand it’s just four games, but they have been four straight games where they have played consistently well and the stats are stats. This Bucks team has done a total 180 and taken on a new identity in the process. The shots are not always going to fall and they might lose some games because of their desire to chuck it up from deep but at least they know who they are now and it should lead them to win a lot more games than not. The Bucks are going to be a fun team to watch night in and night out and as long as health is on their side, they will certainly be one of tougher teams to beat. The challenge for them is going to be if they can stick to this new identity while bringing the energy no matter who they are facing on a nightly basis. The hunger is there and hopefully they can continue to eat.