The Bucks are currently sitting comfy at the 3rd place in a stacked Eastern Conference. Just a win away from the 2nd spot, the Bucks have had waves of brilliance from all their stars and role players this season.
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Rated 5th in the NBA, the Milwaukee Bucks’ defense seems to be a gift that keeps on giving, and that has a lot to do with their big man Brook Lopez.
The iron wall of Milwaukee
Milwaukee has always been a team that would suffocate you at the boards and in the paint. The tight defense often leads to careless turnovers, forming the perfect base for Giannis to take off downhill where he can lay it in for a couple of easy points. Though we can often see great statistical nights from Giannis, Jrue, or Middleton this season Brook Lopez is making his case for DYOP.
Giannis and Jrue choose their early DPOY candidate – Brook Lopez
In a recent post-game presser at the Garden, Giannis expressed his feelings on Brook’s performance this season:
“He is crucial to our team. He is playing at a high level. He is covering our b**s. We need him defensively and offensively as well. In my opinion, and Jrue would probably agree, Defensive Player of the Year.”
The race for the DPOY continues
Last year Marcus Smart made history as he bagged the DPOY as a guard, a feat last accomplished by Gary Payton in 1996. But this year there is no clear front-runner. Surprisingly, Brook’s teammate and Bucks superstar Giannis also features pretty high on the list, as he continues to average around a block and steal a game.
Brook is undoubtedly up there with the best of them, as he is tied with Nick Claxton for the most blocks per game. Though advanced stats and efficiency rating point to Brook’s real genius. Brook often works to stretch the floor of set plays. Brook commands bigs to leave the paint and guard him at the perimeter as he shoots an elite 39% from downtown.
This often allows Giannis to work off the screen and bully mismatches and take them to the rim. Brook is also a savant at boxing out bigger and more athletic forwards and bigs, carrying the Bucks to the first spot in defensive rebounds in the league.
Though it’s too early to predict anything related to individual awards, the eastern conference and the bucks look ready to take back the trophy from the west. With the reigning champs currently missing key players, the field looks open for every team to grab the Larry O’Brien trophy this postseason.
