Milwaukee Bucks Are Fully Embracing Three-Point Line In New Year

New Year, New Me. That’s the popular phrase thrown around with reckless abandon when the calendar flips annually, and people try to reinvent themselves. The Milwaukee Bucks are no different.

Since Mike Budenholzer arrived as the head coach in 2018, they’ve embraced the “Let it fly” mantra. He even went as far as to tape blue squares in five spots behind the three-point line (one in each of the corners and wings and one at the top of the key) to encourage his guys to shoot threes and space floor.

Milwaukee was behind the times in 2017-18. They didn’t use the three-point shot nearly as often as their peers under head coach Jason Kidd, ranking 25th in three-point frequency.

As a way to unlock Giannis Antetokounmpo’s potential and provide him with maximum space to work with, Budenholzer and the Bucks focused on staying behind the arc and letting it fly when the opportunity presented itself. According to Cleaning the Glass, it resulted in a massive increase in three-point attempts, as the Bucks ranked third in three-point frequency in 2018-19.That trend has held, as they’ve ranked sixth or better in four of Budenholzer’s five seasons at the helm, including so far in 2022-23.

The Bucks are shooting more threes than ever before this season, with two out of every five attempts coming from deep. Their attempts have skyrocketed since the New Year.

Over their first 35 games (from the beginning of the season until December 31st), Milwaukee ranked seventh in the NBA by attempting 37 threes per 100 possessions, knocking down 34.5 percent of them.

They lead the NBA in three-point attempts in their 10 games since the new year, averaging a whopping 46.1 attempts per 100 possessions and connecting on 38.2 percent. Six of their seven games with the most three-point attempts this season have come since January 1st. The 57 threes they took against the Miami Heat on January 12th is the most in their franchise’s history.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Giannis Antetokounmpo’s absence and the corresponding rise in three-point heaves. The two-time MVP has missed the last four games, removing dozens of shots inside the arc with his vacancy.

To replace his shot creation, Milwaukee must move the ball more deliberately and more often. The rock is flying around the perimeter, touching multiple players and moving quickly from one post to another. This has kept defenses on their heels and allowed Milwaukee to fire with the defense in its rotation.

In the 41 games before Antetokounmpo’s current injury, Milwaukee ranked 20th in passes per game at 276.4. That number has risen by 30 attempts in his four-game absence (small sample size alert), ranking fifth in that span. They’re also creating more assist points for their teammates by sharing the ball in a quicker fashion.

The ball is also less sticky, finding more players, more often and staying with them for less time. It often flies around the court, touching multiple players in one possession until an open shot presents itself.

I’m not placing any blame on Antetokounmpo. He’s a generational talent who can create something out of nothing. His ability to slither around defenders and plow through them is unparalleled anywhere else in the world. It’s only natural he holds the ball a little longer to survey the defense and see what he can create. Besides, the rise in three-point attempts began when he was still playing and could continue following his return.

With fewer players who can create their own shot, the Bucks are spreading the floor and the ball to ensure defenses must cover every square inch.

Still, their offensive woes persist. Milwaukee ranks 23rd on the season in offensive rating and hasn’t been able to solve the riddle. Perhaps, the solution exists somewhere between relying on Antetokounmpo to make offense appear out of thin air and taking more quality threes. Throw in Middleton’s return and the Bucks might have the makings of a mid-season offensive turnaround.

There is still a lot of work to be done at that end of the court. The Bucks must find the correct blend of ball movement, quality shot taking and actually knocking down some shots. Taking nearly half of their overall shots from behind the arc is probably not the solution, but it can be a solution.