The number 3 team to fear, according to their NBA championship betting odds this season are the defending Champions. Let’s take a look at the Milwaukee Bucks odds.
MILWAUKEE BUCKS.
Eastern Conference. (NBA odds = 10.00, NBA Western Conference odds = 4.50)
The 2nd of only 4 Eastern Conference teams represented in the top 10 according to their NBA odds. The Milwaukee Bucks Finished 3rd in Eastern and 7th in the NBA overall last season.
TEAM STATS
When analysing their stats it seems that the Milwaukee Bucks weren’t far away from killing it in any category. On average per game they topped the numbers in several key areas:
Joint 1st for points scored (120).
Most field goals attempted (92).
Most field goals hit (45).
Joint 1st for total number of rebounds claimed (48).
Joint 1st for defensive rebounds claimed (38).
Lowest number of player fouls (17).
Those are numbers that will help a team to dominate and win any game.
When we look at the areas where they sat at the bottom of the pile, however, a different story unfolds.
Highest number of opponent field goals attempted (93).
Most number of opponent field goals scored (42).
Highest number of opponent 3-pointers attempted (39).
Making the most attempts and hitting the most field goals, but also allowing their opponents to attempt and hit the most seems highly significant in terms of style of play and efficiency.
Obviously, most Milwaukee Bucks’ games are end-to-end stuff.
This should certainly make for entertaining viewing if nothing else.
They finished the season as top scorers but still lost 26 games Because all of the negativity here revolves around defensive effectiveness.
Clearly, the Milwaukee Bucks are aggressive and opportunistic going forwards but have sacrificed some defensive stability as a consequence.
That might give us some indication as to why their NBA odds jump up to 10.00 from those of the 2nd placed team at 5.00.
AT A GLANCE
Better than their opponents in:
PTS, FG, FG%, 2PA, 2P, 2P%, 3P%, FTA, TRB, DRB, AST, STL, PF*
Worse than their opponents in:
FGA, 3PA, 3P, FT%, TOV,
Level with their opponents in:
ORB, BLK
DRAFT PICKS
With no players causing ripples in the Rookie of the Year betting odds this season, Milwaukee did not get any picks that were high up in the pecking order.
In fact, their first was:
54th pick:
Sandro Mamukelashvili (power forward)
Can play as either power forward or center.
A solid scorer (17 points per game on average) who is exceptionally difficult to stop with the ball in hand.
Lacks the skill to be a game-changing ball handler but shows decent vision when leading the break.
60th pick:
Georgios Kalaitzakis (shooting guard/small forward)
Versatile, with a natural basketball IQ and potential to be a 3-level scorer.
Competitive and bold.
Doesn’t back down to bigger players, but is still too slight physically to handle full contact. Overall can do a little bit of everything and is very useful in drawing fouls.
EXISTING PLAYERS
No doubt an important element of the Milwaukee Bucks’ success, and also troubling the betting with MVP odds of 8.50 is the giant Greek:
Giannis Antetokounmpo (8.50 MVP odds) #34 power forward.
He impressed with his overall field goal stat (57%) last season.
Because of his extreme height (6’11” 2.11m) it’s not difficult to see why he had the most number of rebounds of anyone on the MVP list.
He performs well in terms of steals and blocks too.
If he can rein in those fouls and push up his 3-point shooting percentage from an abysmal 30% then he can truly make a powerful contribution this season with the Milwaukee Bucks.
CAN THE BUCKS BE THE ALPHA MALES THIS SEASON?
According to the Milwaukee Bucks odds, it doesn’t seem likely that the Milwaukee Bucks will improve enough to take the top spot this season.
Having said that, when you have a team that can score as freely as they seem to, then it only takes some minor adjustments defensively to make them a very difficult proposition indeed.
One that other teams should underestimate at their peril.
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*Glossary
G = games
MP = minutes played
FGA = field goals attempted
FG = field goals
FG% = field goal percentage
2PA = 2-pointers attempted
2P = 2-pointers
2P% = 2-pointer percentage
3PA = 3-pointers attempted
3P = 3-pointers
3P% = 3-pointer percentage
FTA = free-throws attempted
FT% = free-throw percentage
TRB = total rebounds
ORB = offensive rebounds
DRB = defensive rebounds
TOV = turnovers
AST = assists
STL = steals
BLK = blocks
PF = player fouls
PTS = points
