Redick says Milwaukee’s defense will take them to the Finals.
JJ Redick wasn’t very high on Doc Rivers and the Milwaukee Bucks when news came out that Rivers was to be their next head coach.
But it’s been a few weeks since Redick’s assessment and it seems he has changed his tone.
On an episode of The Old Man and the Three, he said the Bucks are the likeliest Eastern Conference team to make it to the NBA Finals and could win a championship because of their defence (specifically, their pick-and-roll defense).
“The [Bucks] defense is trending in the right direction. They are tenth in defense since Doc took over… But here’s what I’m excited about -their pick-and-roll defense. They were a bottom-ten team under Adrian Griffin. They are now a top 5 team in pick-and-roll on defense and you know what it comes down to? They are switching almost 25 percent more -actually more than 25 percent more.”
He went on to give a more in-depth analysis of how switching on pick-and-rolls can make it tougher for the offense to find good shots.
“Here’s what’s interesting: if you think about the philosophy around trying to create turnovers, the ball -and the numbers back this up- the ball is going to get by the defender more if you’re not creating those turnovers, right -their blowby percentage went up. What happens on a blowby; what happens in a pick and roll where there’s not pressure on the ball? You end up in rotation.
“So, if you’re switching and you’re staying on the ball and you’re playing a flatter defense, there’s not as many opportunities to put two on the ball and then be in rotation…It’s a simpler defense and they’re switching with the right personnel at a much higher rate…
“I’m looking at the Bucks and thinking to myself ‘this is easily a team that can not only win the Eastern Conference, but win an NBA championship.’”
Redick added that Doc Rivers will figure out a way to maximize the Bucks’ offense as he has done with teams he coached in the past.
Milwaukee is currently second in the East with a record of 41-21.
Additionally, they’ve won 6 games in a row and have won 8 out of their last 10 games.
Do you think the Milwaukee Bucks have enough firepower to win the NBA championship title?
