3 Improvements that helped Milwaukee Bucks mount a Championship run in the 2020-21 NBA Season
In the 2019-20 season, despite having a much better record (56-17) and clinching the top seed in the East, the Milwaukee Bucks crashed out in the East semis. The franchise was closer to being labeled 'playoff busts' than they were to winning a championship.
Fast forward to less than a year from that point and Giannis Antetokounmpo has secured his first NBA ring. The Giannis-led Milwaukee Bucks beat the Miami Heat, Brooklyn Nets, Atlanta Hawks and Phoenix Suns, on their way to winning the franchise's first NBA title in 50 years.
So it makes sense to wonder as to what were the adjustments or outright improvements that they may have made, which resulted in such a gigantic upside. Like it or not, the Milwaukee Bucks are the home-grown NBA champions who cultivated and infused a winning culture on their own soil.
Neither did Giannis join a superteam nor did the Bucks sign a line of All-Star starters to get over the hump. It was all done through tactical lineup rotations and critical tweaks to their halfcourt sets.
Let's dive deep and dissect the three key areas where the Milwaukee Bucks improved in the 2010-21 NBA season, which led them to an illustrious title run.
#1 The Milwaukee Bucks' playmaking abilities saw an exponential rise.
Swapping Eric Bledsoe for Jrue Holiday might be the most effective by the Milwaukee Bucks front office since Giannis' draft. Jrue has now accomplished more in a single season with the Bucks than he did after seven seasons with the Pelicans and three with the Sixers.
Playing with shooting guards in Donte DiVincenzo and Bryn Forbes, Holiday had to carry most of the playmaking burden in Milwaukee's backcourt. With Jeff Teague seeing a decrease in minutes in Coach Bud's rotations, Holiday made sure he held the fort.
The Milwaukee Bucks made the most field goal attempts last season, were third-best in field goal shooting percentages and their leading point guard was averaging a career-low in turnovers (2.2). The team's collective turnover numbers were down 10% and the perimeter shooting was top five in the league.
This is naturally the culmination of reliable ball handling by Middleton and Holiday. In the playoffs, when Khris was dishing out over five dimes per game, Jrue stepped up his assist numbers to 8.7 on average.