A lot of good and fun info found in Dan Devine's preview of the game. 1. How will Oklahoma City guard Giannis?
It might make some sense for OKC to slot Williams on Antetokounmpo with Hartenstein perpetually lurking behind as a helper — akin to the way some opponents have taken to guarding Nikola Jokić in Denver — and trust that, when Giannis kicks the ball out to find an open teammate, its elite off-ball defenders can play on a string tight enough to nail the necessary rotations and keep Milwaukee from generating a barrage of wide-open 3s. That gets trickier in practice, though, when Antetokounmpo’s teammates are knocking down the triples he creates: The Bucks are tied for the league lead in 3-point percentage over their last 15 games, and tied for fourth in made triples per game, with every member of the rotation save for Giannis and the just-returned Khris Middleton drilling at least 38% of their long balls in this stretch. (Here’s where we note that Giannis is posting a career-high assist rate and a career-low turnover rate, and leads the NBA in passes leading to 3-pointers.)
2. Is Andre Jackson Jr. ready for prime time?
The second-year guard out of UConn has earned his way into Doc Rivers’ starting lineup with his athleticism, defensive aptitude, and relentless activity, routinely deployed in defending an opponent’s most dangerous perimeter weapon.
The 23-year-old is one of just seven players in the entire NBA to rank in the 98th percentile or higher in both average matchup difficulty and perimeter isolation defense, according to The BBall Index’s game charting — a list that includes Dort and breakout defensive menace Dyson Daniels.
3. Who sets the pace?
The Thunder’s defensive philosophy relies on relentless ball pressure in an effort to force turnovers and get their armada of bright young athletes out on the break. It’s no surprise, then, that Oklahoma City ranks eighth in the NBA in average time to shot, according to Inpredictable, getting an attempt up within 11.3 seconds of getting the ball, on average.
The Bucks, on the other hand, are the NBA’s oldest team; with the exception of Antetokounmpo and Jackson, Milwaukee’s rotation relies more on skill and execution than bounce and explosion. It’s no surprise, then, that the Bucks rank 26th in average time to shot — and second in the share of their offensive possessions where they operate in the half-court, rather than in transition. Oklahoma City, by contrast? Fourth in transition frequency.
