Last night was Brook Lopez’s first game since opening night. Brook was out because he had back surgery on one of his disks. It was also George Hill’s first game back. George hurt his neck back in January. The Bucks still were able to find a way to win with these two injuries. Milwaukee traded for Serge Ibaka before the trade deadline. They also found a couple of contributors in the buyout market. In last night’s game, they both looked good. Lopez spread the floor for Giannis and Hill was able to step in for Grayson Allen.
The playoffs are coming up quickly, so it was great to get these two back in the rotation. The Bucks have the talent on this team to repeat. They have to play together and get in a rhythm before the playoffs. Bobby Portis is going to be the starting center, but to be able to bring in Lopez and Ibaka is a luxury. It will be easier to match up with Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets with depth at center. The 76ers also have a big man who is hard to guard. Joel Embiid is a throw back center, that can hit three pointers. If the Bucks can throw three people at those guys, Milwaukee has a good chance to beat them. Miami Heat has a couple of really hard people to guard too. Bam Adebayo and Pj Tucker are both All Stars.
George Hill is an important piece, because Pat Connaughton is injured and will need time to get back into the swing of things. They also just lost De’Andre Bembry for the season too. Hill has a lot of experience in the playoffs, which will be valuable for this team.
My final thought about the boys being back is now we are ready to repeat.