Even With Giannis, Bucks Struggle With Rebounding, Free Throws

Even when the Bucks’ best rebounder in Giannis is playing and on the floor, the Bucks stink at rebounding. The only players Giannis has a 70% rebounding percentage with is Taurean Prince, who he’s only played seven games with. The rest of the Bucks’ roster in two-man lineups don’t hit that mark.

More rebounds equals more chances for the opponent to score with more shot attempts. Against the Knicks in an NBA Cup game on Nov. 28, New York got up 13 more shots than the Bucks and beat Milwaukee 118-109. 

In a 129-126 loss to the lowly Wizards on Dec. 1, the Wizards had 18 (!) more shot attempts than the Bucks. ‘

It’s a consistent issue — the Bucks allowed 14 offensive rebounds in each loss.

In both games the Bucks shot above 50% from the floor yet still found a way to lose. In the Wizards game, the Bucks even shot 55% from 3. Despite this, the math of giving the other team more chances to score was too much to overcome.

Free Throw Problem

The Bucks don’t stop at rebounding when it comes to ways to give their opponents more opportunities to score.

While the Bucks shoot great from three, they don’t get to the free throw line much. Even factoring in the most dominant paint player in the NBA (Giannis leads the league in points in the paint (PIP)) the Bucks have finished in the bottom five in the NBA in PIP in the in recent years, including last year.

Add to it that the Bucks have a fouling issue at the other end. While Gary Trent Jr. and A.J. Green are snipers from three, they are undersized wings. Cole Anthony is undersized as well.

Anthony and Green have fouled a ton, which is particularly troublesome with Green being a starter. Milwaukee consistently is outshot in both attempts and makes from the foul line.

The Bucks are allowing opponents nearly 26.4 free throw attempts per game, while attempting just 20.7 per game. The -5.6 FTA per game is last in the league.

With the roster being Giannis-centric in its construction, many of the surrounding role players are catch-and-shoot guys. But because of that, the Bucks are among the worst in the league in free throw rate. They don’t really have the personnel to expect this to turn around at a meaningful level.

Most of the free throws they do draw are attempted by Giannis, who is a sub-70% shooter. That means the Bucks, who get to the line in a limited capacity, miss a lot when they get there. This is why Milwaukee the worst free throw shooting team in the league. 

It All Leads to More Chances for the Opposing Team

The Bucks were blown off the floor by the 76ers 116-101 recently and, once again, the math wasn’t kind to the Bucks. It is part of a pretty simple issue: The other team is getting a lot more chances to score.

According to NBA.com’s Power Rankings, “…the Bucks have been getting killed in the possession game. They’ve had fewer shooting opportunities than their opponents in 18 of their 27 games (entering the Dec. 18 game vs. Toronto), including each of their last six. They’ve averaged 4.7 fewer per game, with only the Wizards having a worse discrepancy.”

That trend has continued since the Raptors game; the Bucks are 3-2 in their last five games, but they’ve only attempted more field goals than their opponent once (against Indiana).

While the Bucks have been overall pretty good offensively, they need to be better defensively and on the boards. But being undersized on the wings makes it a bit difficult to compete with the length and athleticism at the position around the league. 

Can the Bucks Change the Math?

The return of Kevin Porter Jr. seems to have helped a bit in leading to more shot creation and fouls for the Bucks. Now with Giannis returning, they hope to start stacking some wins. When Giannis has played, Milwaukee is 11-8. 

The roster was built around Giannis. He is the downhill driver with shooting all around him. Missing so many games already this season has made things difficult for Milwaukee. 

Giannis’ return definitely helps, but the Bucks were still outrebounded by the Bulls. Giannis’ return can help the Bucks get to the free throw line with some regularity, though, and is a massive help offensively.

However, the Bucks consistently lose the possession game even when Giannis has played. The math is a real problem for Milwaukee, but they may not be able to solve it with their current roster construction.