Giannis in the dunker spot, a small-ball unit, a long-range duo: 5 intriguing Bucks lineups

With media day in Milwaukee on Sept. 30, the Bucks are 10 days away from beginning the 2024-25 season.

In his first full season as Bucks head coach, Doc Rivers will try to get the crew again into the championship image after first-round exits in its final two postseasons. Considered one of Rivers’ duties can be creating a rotation that options a number of lineups that may present totally different seems to be for opponents and maximize the abilities of his greatest gamers.

As we anticipate a few of these lineups to disclose themselves within the preseason, listed below are 5 concepts for distinctive bench items that might assist get the Bucks via the common season and, in some circumstances, put together them for the postseason.

Lineup No. 1: Small-ball unit

Gamers: Delon Wright, Gary Trent Jr., Khris Middleton, Taurean Prince, Giannis Antetokounmpo

It ought to come as no shock that is the primary lineup that intrigues me heading into the season.

The Bucks won’t ever play Antetokounmpo at middle full-time. It’s far too grating on his physique and a poor allocation of the Bucks’ expertise on a nightly foundation throughout 82 video games, however small-ball lineups with Antetokounmpo at middle will at all times be one thing the crew ought to take into consideration throughout the common season to make sure these seems to be might be weaponized within the postseason.

As mentioned in our first September mailbag story, the Los Angeles Lakers’ small-ball lineups with Prince and Anthony Davis have been profitable final season. The Bucks could be smart to attempt capturing that very same magic this season by enjoying Prince at energy ahead alongside Antetokounmpo at middle. Antetokounmpo and Davis will not be the identical gamers, however they’re comparable in some methods, and there’s a risk the Bucks can discover comparable success because the Lakers with this small-ball alignment.

This lineup has no adverse defenders, in addition to the dimensions, size and athleticism to consider switching throughout a number of positions and actions to trigger issues for opposing offenses. Offensively, there are succesful shooters to house the ground round Antetokounmpo and an on-ball creator in Middleton to assist if the offense will get slowed down.

Once more, this lineup is just not one thing the Bucks ought to use for giant stretches of time, however it’s a good place to start out as they try to determine how they may create small-ball benefits this season.

Lineup No. 2: Dunker spot Giannis

Gamers: Damian Lillard, Wright, Middleton, Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez

Admittedly, that is an excuse for me to speak about an offensive idea, but it surely’s fascinating sufficient for the lineup to be intriguing.

The lineup could not appear all that thrilling as I’ve merely switched in Wright for Trent, however the Lillard-Wright pairing is one thing I discover fascinating as a result of, as Jon Horst instructed The Athletic in July, Wright was one of many Bucks’ important targets getting into the offseason, and that might recommend that the group believes Lillard and Wright can share the ground collectively.

Whereas watching pick-and-rolls involving Lillard and Antetokounmpo, I discovered myself questioning how the Bucks may get Antetokounmpo simple alley-oop finishes with Lillard dealing with the ball. Due to the quick-hitting nature of Lillard’s offensive recreation, it didn’t seem to be one thing that could possibly be achieved with Antetokounmpo serving because the screener within the pick-and-roll. So, I began watching Lillard work within the pick-and-roll with Lopez.

That introduced me to this play within the Bucks’ first-round sequence in opposition to the Indiana Pacers:

All season, Lillard and Lopez had a robust connection within the pick-and-roll, so it was no shock to see the Bucks lean on their reference to Antetokounmpo on the sidelines. As Bucks followers will keep in mind, it led to points in transition protection at instances in opposition to the Pacers as a result of it put Lopez in precarious positions across the basket and put him behind the play. That isn’t what I’m specializing in right here. As an alternative, I questioned what would occur for those who ran this play with Antetokounmpo within the lineup for Bobby Portis and stationed him within the dunker as an alternative of the weak-side nook:

Whereas it’d really feel like a foul concept to place the weak-side defender in a greater assist place by stationing Antetokounmpo within the dunker, it’s price noting that Antetokounmpo may, you realize, dunk on a fast alley-oop. For instance, take a look at this damaged play from the Bucks recreation in opposition to the New Orleans Pelicans on March 28:

Have a look at the tough resolution offered to Larry Nance Jr. Additionally, take a look at what Lopez and Antetokounmpo have been in a position to do freelancing in a state of affairs they weren’t anticipating. Lopez’s sluggish roll to the basket and catch on a leap cease allowed him to simply management his footwork and keep away from a journey to toss a go to Antetokounmpo with Nance caught in no man’s land standing flat-footed between two 7-footers.

The Bucks shouldn’t make their complete offense out of sticking Antetokounmpo within the dunker, however after years of avoiding placing him in that place, what if the Bucks opted to lean into Lillard-Lopez pick-and-rolls with Antetokounmpo ready for lobs within the dunker for 2 minutes every night time on the finish of the primary quarter or the beginning of the second?

Lineup No. 3: Cell long-range duo

Gamers: Lillard, Trent, AJ Inexperienced, Antetokounmpo, Lopez

Whereas it wasn’t essentially this fashion for different younger gamers on the roster, Inexperienced, the second-year capturing guard, noticed his position develop after Rivers took over halfway via final season. After enjoying 7.5 minutes per recreation and showing in solely 28 of the Bucks’ first 43 video games beneath former head coach Adrian Griffin, Inexperienced averaged 14.5 minutes per recreation and appeared in 28 of the Bucks’ remaining 36 video games with Rivers on the helm. If Rivers nonetheless trusts Inexperienced, the 6-foot-4 guard could also be taking a look at one of many remaining 10 spots in Rivers’ nightly rotation. If that’s the case, the Bucks may as properly benefit from it.

In earlier stops, Trent has proven the flexibility to be a risk as a motion shooter. Why not throw him in a lineup with Inexperienced and absolutely leverage two proficient shooters? Dribble handoffs and ghost screens are all the fad in trendy NBA offenses, so why not have two nice shooters whip round screens to obtain dribble handoffs?

Or, put these shooters able to display screen for Antetokounmpo in inverted pick-and-rolls?

Final season, Rivers inspired Inexperienced to run each of the actions above. Trent and Inexperienced each may have success in both state of affairs, and Wright’s dimension may flip him right into a succesful screener for Antetokounmpo as properly. Once more, these received’t be the bottom actions for the Bucks’ offense, however these are wrinkles the crew can leverage all through the sport with the suitable personnel on the ground.

Defensively, the big-man duo of Antetokounmpo and Lopez ought to have the ability to solidify the world across the rim, and the trio of guards ought to have the ability to survive on the wing, even when there isn’t a standard larger wing within the group.

Lineup No. 4: No Lopez lineup

Gamers: Wright, Trent, Prince, Antetokounmpo, Portis

The truth of getting solely three bigs on the roster is that the Bucks might want to lean on the big-man pairing of Antetokounmpo and Portis. Final season, these two shared the ground for 1,018 minutes, which was probably the most since they performed 1,109 minutes collectively when Lopez missed a majority of the 2021-22 common season with a again harm. Whereas Antetokounmpo and Portis have performed collectively fairly a bit during the last 4 seasons, the Bucks haven’t discovered as a lot success with them on the ground collectively during the last two seasons.

Because the statistics present, items with Portis alongside Antetokounmpo have had their moments offensively. Portis is a proficient offensive participant, and he has at all times performed properly recognizing up from behind the 3-point line with Antetokounmpo attacking the rim.

The pathway to extra profitable items — which the Bucks discovered throughout Portis’ first two seasons — is fairly easy: higher protection. With the best way these lineups have a tendency to attain, the protection doesn’t should be nice; it simply must be nearer to common.

With Wright within the lineup, in addition to Trent, this lineup would function above-average protection on the level of assault. Prince enjoying small ahead provides the lineup some dimension to doubtlessly assist out on the glass. So as to add, Antetokounmpo stays an above-average defender. The Bucks have struggled to discover a extremely efficient pick-and-roll protection for Portis the final two seasons, but when they will stumble into one thing that works, this unit may have the ability to defend properly sufficient to show right into a constructive and permit the Bucks to discover a profitable lineup with out each Antetokounmpo and Lillard on the ground.

Lineup No. 5: Let’s get bizarre

Gamers: Lillard, Inexperienced, Andre Jackson Jr., Portis, Lopez

This lineup is just like the third lineup on this checklist, besides we’ve added Jackson into the combo. Whereas the Bucks’ second-year wing shot 37 p.c from behind the 3-point line as a rookie, groups don’t view him as a risk from the surface and sag off him. As a result of the 4 different Bucks on the ground can shoot the ball properly, let’s attempt to leverage the house between him and his defender for open seems to be for his teammates.

On this play in opposition to the Houston Rockets final December, the Bucks used Jackson in a dribble handoff, and the Rockets paid a lot consideration to Lillard that Jackson was in a position to get to the rim after which create for Lopez. With Lillard and Inexperienced on the ground with Jackson, the Bucks may use him as a dribble-handoff hub and let each gamers run off the screens he units for them.

Within the playoffs, the Pacers tried to cover Tyrese Haliburton on Jackson, and the Bucks used that to their benefit to create a mismatch for Danilo Gallinari on the block.

Whereas making a search for Gallinari may not be one thing groups wish to do frequently, that very same display screen/re-screen motion could possibly be used to create a good matchup for both Portis or Lopez on the block when groups resolve to attempt to go beneath screens in opposition to Jackson.

Total, for this to be viable, Jackson might want to take one other developmental step ahead this season. However even when this isn’t a lineup the Bucks resolve to make use of, these are the forms of issues they should be desirous about as they attempt to construct younger depth items on the backside of the roster.

(Picture of Giannis Antetokounmpo: Steph Chambers / Getty Photographs)