Brook Lopez is an integral part of the Milwaukee Bucks system under Mike Budenholzer.
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Lopez was signed by the Bucks in free agency in 2018 to ease the load on Giannis Antetoukounmpo in the interior.
Brook immediately proved to be a smart pickup. Lopez’s soft touch and rim protection were known quantities. However, his sudden emergence as a floor spacer changed the game for the Bucks.
Suddenly, the Bucks could play 4 out lineups with Giannis more often. This, without sacrificing any of their swarming interior defensive schemes.
While Lopez is the all-time scoring leader for the Brooklyn Nets and his scoring prowess was noted, his explosion as a three-point threat wasn’t.
The #10 pick in the 2008 NBA draft has built himself quite a career in the league. Lopez was an All-Star in 2013 and won a ring with the Bucks while being named to the All-Defensive team himself in 2020.
However, it feels that Lopez is due a bit more respect. And a stat from 2018-19 highlights this. A stat that mentions Lopez in the same breath as two giants of the game: Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett.
How does Lopez’s 2018-19 season match up against Kobe and KG?
Lopez’s 2018-19 season was relatively unheralded. While Brook’s status as one of the league’s premier role players was cemented, the impact Brook brought wasn’t really highlighted.
Brook’s presence as a lurking rim protector and floor spacer shows his diversity. And as proof of how effective he was, we have numbers making some noise.
Brook, in 2018-19, made more three-pointers than Kobe Bryant ever did in a single season. To top this, Brook also recorded more blocks than defensive savant Kevin Garnett ever made in a single season. Both Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett have a combined net worth of $790 million and Brook Lopez of all players outplayed them in multiple facets of the game.
Brook recorded 12 points and 2.2 blocks during the course of the season. Paired with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brook dominated the paint and formed a twin tower in the defensive line.
Making more threes than a former superstar scorer and a defensive player of the year must have been validating for Brook.
Lopez’s stellar play elevated his status and earned him a 4-year, $52 million extension in 2019. Arguably the most unspoken member of the Bucks’ starting unit, Brook definitely deserves more plaudits.
With injuries and age slowing Brook down recently, we have seen a reduced role for the gentle giant. However, Lopez’s role is still crucial and he still has some more splashing to do for the Bucks.
