Let’s cook up some quintets!
Welcome back to yet another year of the Brew Hoop Round Table, where we ask that everybody use coasters and please don’t feed the aging pugs from the table, thanks. Today we’re putting our coaching hats on and pretending we’re Doc Rivers, trying to piece together lineups from the Bucks’ fifteen-man roster beyond the projected starting lineup of Damian Lillard, Gary Trent Jr., Khris Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Brook Lopez. We’re even going beyond what you might think of as the eight- or nine-man rotation! But not deep enough for Tyler Smith or Chris Livingston, as much as we might like them. Here’s a look at some five-man groupings that we think would click during the regular season and perhaps even the playoffs.
Van: Delon Wright, Andre Jackson Jr., Taurean Prince, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez
Ever since Milwaukee’s defense cratered after Bud’s dismissal, I’ve been constructing defense-first lineups in my head in hopes of seeing some on the court. Perhaps my previous idea of Patrick Beverley-AJax-Jae Crowder-Giannis-Lopez became a possibility too late in the year because that fivesome never saw the floor together. Well, keep the holdovers, swap out the two has-beens for younger, more legitimate NBA defenders (sorry PatBev) and voila. I give you the Bucks’ All-Defense lineup.
Uses: a dynamic guard like Jalen Brunson or Tyrese Maxey is wreaking havoc on Milwaukee’s point-of-attack defense, the opponent features longer and athletic wings, a pre-closing lineup to hold serve while Khris Middleton and Damian Lillard rest
Strengths: lots of length (Wright is the least gangly at 6’5” with a 6’7” wingspan), solid athleticism, no worse than an average defender at any one spot, three credible outside shooters, decently switchable 1–4, gigantic frontcourt with interior scoring prowess
Weaknesses: only one true shot creator (unless you count Lopez’s old man post moves), relies heavily on Giannis and AJax for secondary ballhandling, lacks a potent P&R combo, might not keep the scoreboard moving enough
Obviously, with Brook Lopez on the floor, there are certain opponents this lineup is tailor-made for (Embiid’s Sixers, the twin towers Cavs, the Knicks if they aren’t going uber-small) and others where it’s best left unused (probably anything Celtics trot out). Yes, the drop zone would be the default defensive setup here, but that’s not a bad thing, even if, say, Wright or Jackson takes a second getting over an Embiid screen as Maxey attacks a dropping Lopez. I have faith that Lopez’s age has not robbed him of his elite instincts at handling both a roller and ballhandler entering the paint, backpedaling while keeping each in his line of vision. After all, he’s only 36 and not 78—his mind is still sharp even if he loses another step. Giannis will do his thing and rotate from the weakside, making this one of the classic Milwaukee hallmarks when their defense was among the league’s best.
Switching everything is probably best avoided in most matchups in favor of the situation I laid out above; not switching puts Giannis and Lopez in their best position to succeed as defenders, plus both guards are athletic/long enough to close out onto shooters left open as the defense rotates. However, since Wright and Jackson have enough length and athleticism to handle wings of nearly all sizes, if the opposing ballhandler is running P&R with perimeter-oriented players, that’s absolutely a switch the Bucks can run. Even if the screener slashes instead of popping back out to the three-point line, Wright and Jackson are also well-suited to defend that action with their footspeed. The onus would be on AJax to not get lost in the play due to his inexperience or to commit a personal.
As I alluded to above, the gambit here would be to keep the lead from disappearing or the deficit from growing until more offensive-oriented players sub in. There would be a lot of pressure on Giannis to score, and he will likely draw a lot of double-teams on him as defenses ignore AJax. Thus, it would significantly benefit the Bucks to get ahead off rebounds and live-ball turnovers by not crashing the guards to the boards and instead sending them upcourt. Immediately launch AJax down the floor at high speed looking for an easy bucket and quickly relay the rebound to Wright near midcourt as a hockey assist. If that doesn’t work, the cavalry is close behind as Giannis makes up ground in transition with his long strides, and Lopez brings up the rear to tee up one of his classic trailing threes atop the arc.
You know something? It feels like I’m describing classic, winning Bucks basketball. Stuff that worked so well during the Bud years that they’ve since moved away from but now have the personnel to execute once again. They may have last year too, though Doc didn’t implement it, maybe because of the time crunch. I’m hoping he’ll dust off this type of thing in camp.
Kyle: Damian Lillard, AJ Green, Andre Jackson Jr., Khris Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo
I thought of this lineup while lying on a couch battling COVID and initially sent it over to Riley. Part of this is my bias and favoritism of finding a way to get AJ Green and Andre Jackson Jr. on the court. The other part is that it’s a lineup that would be useful in the playoffs. It’s unlikely we will see this lineup, but Doc Rivers should consider it.
Uses: Giannis at center lineup that everyone keeps asking for.
Strengths: floor spacing with Dame-Green-Khris, Giannis and AJax will have more lanes to cut or attack the rim, the ability to use AJax and Giannis as effective help-side defenders.
Weaknesses: Andre Jackson Jr.’s fouling situation is further exposed as his reliance on his defense increases, perimeter/wing defense is prone to being exposed.
If Giannis was healthy in the Bucks’ playoff series loss to the Pacers, I think this would have been a lineup we would have seen. AJ Green and Andre Jackson Jr. were seeing playoff minutes as Doc was looking for a solution after Jae Crowder once again showed he was a liability. Now, with Dame having a better understanding of the tendencies, he can lead the offense and dictate the flow. The Bucks can just spam Dame-Giannis P&R; Giannis can get the ball at the wing, drive to the rim, and either attempt to finish there or kick out to one of the Bucks’ shooters. Potentially, they can initiate dribble handoffs for AJ Green or Khris to create space. The options are endless for Milwaukee, and that’s just in the half-court setting. You have intelligent players that would make the right decision and likely create a shot you can be satisfied with.
Yes, there is the issue of perimeter defense being exposed, but AJ Green is not as poor as we expected and his frame can allow him to fight through screens. AJax’s ability to switch will be useful and Giannis can play the safety role to bail out Dame and Khris. This wouldn’t be a lineup to use frequently but when you need a Giannis at the 5 lineup to potentially score points in bunches, I think this would be an intriguing option.
Morgan: Delon Wright, Andre Jackson Jr., Taurean Prince, Giannis, Bobby Portis
The Mayor of Milwaukee is down in the polls. After ingratiating himself with the fanbase as the Bucks won the championship, the past three seasons have made clear that Bobby’s rapport with local agencies, nonprofits, and businesses does not fully paper over the warts in his game. With last season ending in part due to Portis getting ejected from a pivotal playoff game, his name was bandied about as a possible trade candidate, aided by Milwaukee’s mostly bare cupboard of other assets. Alas, he remains a Buck. So, let’s make the most of it and LET HIM COOK.
Uses: literally whenever Bobby is on the floor
Strengths: Bobby is the main option offensively (save Giannis) so it won’t break the flow, cover up Bobby’s defensive deficiencies through strength in numbers, intangibles obviously
Weaknesses: offensive variety, Bobby is still on the court defensively
Despite it all, Bobby is still the sixth-best player on this team (although I suppose we’ll see where exactly he lands in the Ranking The Roster exercise) and will get commensurate minutes. The question is how to maximize his mix of all offense, no defense.
The answer: subbing him into Van’s All-Defense lineup, lol. I subbed him in for Brook because Giannis can provide more cover for Bobby on defense, and Wright/AJax/Prince are the three players whose offense-to-defense ratios are the furthest away from Bobby’s.
On offense, Bobby will post up every time. Most of the time, he’ll shoot a jumper. When he misses, sometimes he’ll get a putback (eventually). Giannis can also clean up and try to draw folks into his orbit. The other three can stand behind the arc and look pretty, awaiting the rare kick out. Bobby can’t break the offensive flow when he IS the offensive flow.
On defense, Wright and AJax will lead an actual point-of-attack defense. Prince will take the main wing threat and Bobby will sit in the corner. Giannis will have to cover for Bobby (and potentially Prince), but c’est la. I don’t think this is the sieve that often occurs on that side of the ball.
Feel free to tune into my episode on the pod to hear me speak this lineup into existence!
Gabe: Damian Lillard, Gary Trent Jr., Khris Middleton, Bobby Portis, Giannis Antetokounmpo
When I began to think of a lineup for this piece, I immediately went to this one that featured a mixture of new and old eras of Bucks basketball but didn’t feature Brook Lopez. We all know how Bobby Portis has filled in the lineup gaps when Lopez has been out either for an extended period of time due to injuries or just getting a breather, so this is one that could come to fruition. Let’s dive in and take a peek at how it could play out.
Uses: nights when the Bucks need more scoring and three-point threats while going smaller
Strengths: floor spacing and transition efficiency
Weaknesses: lack of height and possible scoring droughts
You have a scoring presence that’s spread out among Lillard, Trent, and Middleton, three players who can gravitate defenders away from the paint, thus paving the way for Giannis to attack the rack. Those three players all boast respectable three-point capabilities. And hey, sometimes Bobby Portis can get in a groove from beyond the perimeter as well. On the defensive side of the ball, the fact that Giannis remains on the floor is a comfort blanket of sorts, even without Brook Lopez out there. We all know Giannis’ defensive capabilities. In terms of transition possibilities, Giannis and Dame both boast the ability to generate fast breaks and fuel offensive fireworks.
Of course, this is more of a small ball lineup and outside of Giannis, there’s a significant lack of height and wingspan compared to other lineups Milwaukee could trot out. Brook Lopez means so much to the Bucks’ defense. However, I’d like to see it in action just to satisfy my curiosity. Regarding offense, the argument could be made that this lineup relies too much on shooting. Granted, Giannis would still be out on the floor and could generate some action within the paint, but if all of those shooters go ice cold (and Bucks fans have seen their fair share of these instances), it could cause some fits.
Jack: Damian Lillard, Delon Wright, Andre Jackson Jr., Taurean Prince, Brook Lopez
As the NBA teams have become faster and more dynamic in how they play, the Bucks may need lineup that can hold up defensively against movement. They need guys that can stay attached to shooters and get skinny over screens. At the same time, these lineups do still need to be able to score. So, the thought behind this lineup was asking myself, “how much foot speed can they get out there without completely abandoning offence or skewing too small?” This is what I came up with; a lineup you might call the “mosquito fleet.” It definitely skews defensive but does still space the floor and leave room for offensive playmaking. I flirted with the idea of going even smaller by removing Taurean Prince and inserting AJ Green for another foot-speed guy. But in most cases, you just need more size than that.
Uses: the opponent’s lineup features a heavy dose of on- and off-ball screening and/or has dynamic, quick guards who can get in the paint and make plays but maybe aren’t massive in terms of height and bulk. Milwaukee wants to keep out of rotation and—key phrase—stay attached to shooters and drivers.
Strengths: solid defensive foot speed and acumen in three out of five spots; if Lopez isn’t left on an island, he remains a great drop defender. Plus, having four shooters allows you to play Jackson nominally as a playmaking centre.
Weaknesses: need to account for Lillard defensively, cannot switch everything due to Lopez being out there, only two consistent shot creators in Lillard and Wright means offence could suffer
Let’s delve deeper into the logic behind this configuration. You’ve got two guys who can guard primary ballhandlers, get skinny around screens, and stick to dangerous shooters in Wright and Jackson, while Prince can play to his strengths guarding a primary wing who operates more out of isolation. That’s three out of five spots covered, which makes hiding Lillard easier.
I believe Jackson can be a unique defensive piece, so I really wanted to include him, but the payoff there is needing to include Brook Lopez for spacing purposes. Yes, some smaller defensive matchups typically aren’t great for him, but that just means the guards will need to be more vigilant in funneling their men into the Lopez drop coverage.
For example, this is a lineup I envision might work well defensively against a fair few Miami Heat configurations, which tend to feature a litany of pick-and-rolls, handoffs, and down screens. Let’s say it’s Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, Haywood Highsmith, and Bam Adebayo. You would put Prince on Butler, Wright on Herro, Jackson on Robinson, Lillard on Highsmith, and Lopez on Adebayo.
Now to the offence. You have Lillard out there to be the primary engine, while Wright can shoot and create in a secondary role. That’s basically it for on-ball creation, which isn’t ideal, but I think Lillard is so good that it will suffice. Furthermore, the advantage of having Lopez out there to stretch the floor is that theoretically, it presents you flexibility in how you use Jackson.
Teams will likely put their own centre on AJax and ignore him, which means you could get funky involving him in pick-and-rolls as the nominal centre, and he could add supplemental playmaking in the short roll. We know one of Jackson’s strengths coming into the NBA was his passing, but the team didn’t really tap into it much last season—is screening a way to showcase that? Additionally, this combination also allows you to stick Andre in the dunker spot on offence if need be.
This lineup would likely be too small against Eastern Conference teams like Cleveland, Orlando, or New York. You don’t want Taurean Prince guarding the likes of Evan Mobley, Paolo Banchero, or Julius Randle. But you could use it for teams that play smaller, without a powerful four-man, like the aforementioned Heat and even the 76ers. If they’re out West, it could well be helpful against the Warriors and Kings, who also play with a similar identity.
Since Riley has been doing this exercise with various lineups we’ll likely see this year—even if we might not want to—in the Monday Morning Media Roundup for several weeks, we’ll link those here where you can read his analyses:
Damian Lillard, Gary Trent Jr., Khris Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez
Damian Lillard, Delon Wright, Khris Middleton, Taurean Prince, Giannis Antetokounmpo
AJ Johnson, AJ Green, Andre Jackson Jr., Chris Livingston, Tyler Smith
Delon Wright, Taurean Prince, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bobby Portis, Brook Lopez
Damian Lillard, Gary Trent Jr., Khris Middleton, Tyler Smith, Brook Lopez
Damian Lillard, AJ Johnson, Khris Middleton, Bobby Portis, Giannis Antetokounmpo
Damian Lillard, Gary Trent Jr., Taurean Prince, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez
Delon Wright, Gary Trent Jr., Taurean Prince, Bobby Portis, Brook Lopez
What do you think of our lineup ideas? Are there any you’d like to see Milwaukee trot out? Let us know in the comments.