3 key takeaways from the Milwaukee Bucks after the Abu Dhabi game

Mar 22, 2022; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Jeff Hanisch – USA TODAY Sports

The Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks played two games this week in Abu Dhabi, the first ever NBA games to be played in the United Arab Emirates and the Arabian Gulf. The Bucks have been familiar with the groundbreaking NBA game on foreign soil, as they also played in the NBA’s first regular-season game in Paris in 2020.

The Bucks lost both games against the Hawks on Thursday and Saturday. Most of the acting was sloppy, but these were the three biggest takeaways from the trip.

The takeaway from first trip to Abu Dhabi – Milwaukee Bucks will face growing pains as they adopt new defensive scheme

Bucks fans have been talking about his defensive plans during head coach Mike Budenholzer’s tenure. Eric Nehm of The Athletic (subscription required) recently wrote some tweaks The team will be successful this season.

It’s been a long time since the Bucks adopted a new defensive scheme. Fans and Budenholzer recognize patterns in how to beat the Bucks. If a team keeps trying 3-pointers to counter the team’s shooting chances, they’ll beat Milwaukee.

While the strategy is to limit the shot attempts of the opposing team’s best perimeter player, it gives other role players the opportunity to step up and shoot. The most recent example, and perhaps the final straw for Budenholzer, was Game 7 of last season’s playoffs against Boston.

The strategy of getting role players to keep shooting is what bites the Bucks back. The team is willing to let Grant Williams try to beat them from the perimeter. He did, and he led 7-18 from behind the arc. Milwaukee probably didn’t win the game anyway, considering how poor their own shooting was, but seeing the Celtics make 22 3-pointers, seven of which came from weak shooters like Williams, was a big deal. That’s where Budenholzer draws the line in the sand.

In Abu Dhabi, the Bucks showcased some of the growing pains they faced as they adopted a new defensive approach trying to limit 3-point attempts. On a few occasions, the team fouled the outside jumper.

The Eagles did a great job exposing another flaw in their new defense, linking up many alley-oops or dunk attempts in the pick-and-roll. Not breaking down leaves the area around the rim exposed to these types of games.

The Bucks will go through some growing pains as they continue to adjust to their new defensive mentality. Still, it’s good to see that Budenholzer has made outside shooting the Achilles’ heel of his team.