Last season, Brook Lopez finished second in voting for Defender of the Year award, behind Jaren Jackson Jr. The Bucks would obviously have wanted him to win it – he was elected in the best defensive five of the season – but this still confirms a trend: the pivot is a vital element of Milwaukee’s defense . And this for several years.
And it is not with the arrival of Adrian Griffin on the bench this summer that things will change, even if the new Bucks coach plans to change the defensive philosophy of the 2021 champions.
“I learned to do the same tasks and play the same roles in this position,” he confides about his position as a control tower, at The Athletic. “It obviously starts with the defense in transition, and I have to know who is in front of me and behind me in the pick-and-roll. It’s my job. Afterwards, I am enthusiastic following the arrival of Griffin, who arrives with new energy. »
The Bucks defense with Mike Budenholzer was based on simple logic: avoid shots close to the circle, and therefore push the opponent to take shots from mid-distancemaking as few mistakes as possible.
In this system, Brook Lopez had a vital role in protecting the basket on drop coverage, i.e. pick-and-roll defensive coverages. Often, he stayed behind the screen to wait for the opponent near the circle. It generally worked well since the Bucks were among the best defenses in the league since the arrival of Mike Budenholzer, and without him, Giannis Antetokounmpo and company were less sharp. But it was also predictable and the Heat had used this systematic defense in particular to punish Milwaukee during the last playoffs.
“I put more pressure on the pick-and-roll. I’m stepping out of my comfort zone a little.”
This will change with Adrian Griffin, who will draw on his experience as an assistant in Toronto in recent seasons. The Raptors’ defense, which lacked size but could count on players with the same physical profile, was very aggressive, in order to stifle opponents and push them to lose balls.
A defense which can be very effective but which gives free throws and remains costly in energy, which had exhausted the Raptors – especially with Nick Nurse who shot too much on his holders.
“Some things are a little different,” recognizes the Bucks coach. “We have non-negotiable principles when it comes to protecting the basket, layups, dunks and with the size of Bobby Portis and Lopez, it will be perfect. As for the pick-and-roll, they will undoubtedly be a little higher. The most important thing is the pressure on the ball carrier. We want to put pressure and that changes things for Brook Lopez, who was more of a quarterback in the paint. But for pressure, it will depend on the situations. He is very receptive to this instruction. »
New pressure that Brook Lopez has already exerted occasionally, in the 2021 playoffs against the Hawks and Trae Young for example. Here, it is a question of making it the norm throughout the meeting and throughout the season. How does the former Brooklynite achieve this transformation?
” It is very good. We talk about it with the coaches and it’s very positive. Aggression has increased »he notes. “With Budenholzer, we were less concerned with the idea of deflecting balls, forcing loose balls. It’s different on that point. I put more pressure on the pick-and-roll, I do the necessary things to make the system work well. We were asked to put more pressure on the ball carrier. I’m stepping out of my comfort zone a little. We may get beat at times and I’ll have to depend on the defensive help behind me, which is a reversed situation. »
| Brook Lopez | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2008-09 | NJN | 82 | 31 | 53.1 | 0.0 | 79.3 | 2.7 | 5.4 | 8.1 | 1.1 | 3.1 | 0.5 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 13.0 |
| 2009-10 | NJN | 82 | 37 | 49.9 | 0.0 | 81.7 | 3.3 | 5.4 | 8.7 | 2.3 | 3.1 | 0.7 | 2.5 | 1.7 | 18.8 |
| 2010-11 | NJN | 82 | 35 | 49.2 | 0.0 | 78.7 | 2.4 | 3.6 | 6.0 | 1.6 | 2.9 | 0.6 | 2.2 | 1.5 | 20.4 |
| 2011-12 | NJN | 5 | 27 | 49.4 | 0.0 | 62.5 | 1.6 | 2.0 | 3.6 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 0.2 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 19.2 |
| 2012-13 | BRK | 74 | 31 | 52.1 | 0.0 | 75.8 | 2.8 | 4.1 | 6.9 | 1.0 | 2.1 | 0.5 | 1.8 | 2.1 | 19.4 |
| 2013-14 | BRK | 17 | 31 | 56.3 | 0.0 | 81.7 | 2.3 | 3.7 | 6.0 | 0.9 | 3.1 | 0.5 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 20.7 |
| 2014-15 | BRK | 72 | 29 | 51.3 | 10.0 | 81.4 | 3.0 | 4.5 | 7.4 | 0.7 | 2.9 | 0.6 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 17.2 |
| 2015-16 | BRK | 73 | 34 | 51.1 | 14.3 | 78.7 | 2.8 | 5.1 | 7.9 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 0.8 | 2.4 | 1.7 | 20.6 |
| 2016-17 | BRK | 75 | 30 | 47.4 | 34.6 | 81.0 | 1.6 | 3.8 | 5.4 | 2.4 | 2.6 | 0.5 | 2.5 | 1.7 | 20.5 |
| 2017-18 | LAL | 74 | 23 | 46.5 | 34.5 | 70.3 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 1.7 | 2.6 | 0.4 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 13.0 |
| 2018-19 | MIL | 81 | 29 | 45.2 | 36.5 | 84.2 | 0.4 | 4.5 | 4.9 | 1.2 | 2.3 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 2.2 | 12.5 |
| 2019-20 | MIL | 68 | 27 | 43.5 | 31.4 | 83.6 | 0.9 | 3.7 | 4.6 | 1.5 | 2.4 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 2.4 | 12.0 |
| 2020-21 | MIL | 70 | 27 | 50.3 | 33.8 | 84.5 | 1.5 | 3.5 | 5.0 | 0.7 | 2.1 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 1.5 | 12.3 |
| 2021-22 | MIL | 13 | 23 | 46.6 | 35.8 | 87.0 | 1.5 | 2.6 | 4.1 | 0.5 | 2.6 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 1.2 | 12.4 |
| 2022-23 | MIL | 78 | 30 | 53.1 | 37.4 | 78.4 | 2.0 | 4.7 | 6.7 | 1.3 | 2.6 | 0.5 | 1.4 | 2.5 | 15.9 |
| Total | 946 | 30 | 49.7 | 34.6 | 79.5 | 2.0 | 4.2 | 6.3 | 1.4 | 2.7 | 0.6 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 16.4 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
