5 things we learned from Bucks season-opening victory over Nets

With NBA basketball back, the Milwaukee Bucks held a ring ceremony and opened up their title defense against the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night.

Both teams are expected to be in the Eastern Conference Finals when it’s all said and done, but the Bucks flexed first with a 127-104 victory on Tuesday night. Here are five things we learned (or think we learned) from the first game of the season.

Here are five interesting things we learned from the Milwaukee Bucks’ season-opening victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is going to shoot more

It’s always difficult to tell which offseason and preseason trends will carry over into the regular season. After racking up two MVP awards and an NBA Finals MVP over the past three years, most figured Giannis Antetokounmpo had maxed out.

Sticking with a career-long theme, Antetokounmpo showed up this season better than ever–this time it’s his “outside” shooting. Antetokounmpo made three of his eight shots outside of the paint. Although those aren’t spectacular numbers, it’s a start. Perhaps, his most impressive shot of the night came on a left elbow jumper he walked into following a ball screen–a shot he wouldn’t have even thought about taking in the past, nonetheless hit bottoms on it.

Grayson Allen is going to get a ton of open threes

Coming off a fresh two-year extension, Allen showed one thing is going to be true this year: he’s going to get a bunch of open threes.

As the forgotten fifth starter alongside Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday and Brook Lopez, defenses have to give somewhere and, at least on Tuesday night, it was on Allen. His man often got sucked into helping pack the paint, leading to open shot after open shot. Allen wasn’t able to capitalize at a rate the Bucks would like–going just 3-10 on threes (the only shots he took on the night)–but every single one of them was a good look. Expect him to have a career year from downtown.

Jordan Nwora has potential

I’ve gone back and forth on Jordan Nwora’s potential as a contributor throughout his year-plus in the NBA. However, I’m very intrigued by his promise after Tuesday night’s game.

Nwora was called upon to play 26 big minutes with the gluttony of injuries Milwaukee is experiencing. Everyone knows the dude can shoot–he made 6 of his 13 shots, including 3-for-6 from three-point land, for 15 points–but how will he fit with the top guys? Sure, he took some questionable shots, but his shooting presence was more helpful than harmful.

Most importantly is how he’s going to contribute in other areas of the game. Nwora showed off some good court vision and passing at times. He was also extremely active on the boards, often flying in from the perimeter to help his team secure the miss (he finished with six rebounds). He still has a lot of work to do on defense, often being a step slow in rotations. However, he was engaged on that end of the court which is at least a start. Let’s see what he can do with regular playing time moving forward.

Depth is a major concern

The Bucks came into this game without at least two big-time contributors (Donte DiVincenzo and Bobby Portis) and two other possible rotational pieces (Rodney Hood and Semi Ojeleye). They also lost one of their main guys in the first half in Jrue Holiday (Mike Budenholzer reported it’s a heel contusion and his MRI already came back clean).

This is going to put a lot of pressure on the end of the Bucks’ bench. Budenholzer doesn’t want to overplay guys like Antetokounmpo, Middleton, Lopez or George Hill. That means others such as Nwora, Allen, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, and Pat Connaughton are going to have to step up.

Continuity is key

Milwaukee has had its core in place for a number of years at this point and it showed on Tuesday night. With Antetokounmpo, Middleton, Lopez, and Connaughton all having multiple years together under their belt, the team has been able to work in newcomers quickly. Considering it’s also Holiday’s second year and Hill’s return and there is tons of familiarity. That is, partly, why Milwaukee was able to hold a double-digit lead over the Nets for most of the night and finish with a 23-point opening night victory.