The Extraordinary Evolution of Brook Lopez

In the summer of 2018, newly hired Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer gathered his staff for a series of meetings at the practice facility to hash out a vision of what the team could be. Milwaukee’s previous defensive system—aggressive to the point of self-sabotage—would need to be thrown out. It was clear that Giannis Antetokounmpo was a force of nature on offense, but even more clear that in high-leverage games, the scoring efforts around him had sputtered, gasping for air. There wasn’t a team in the league more desperate for spacing. As Milwaukee’s staff sketched out their plans to bring the Bucks into basketball’s modern era, the soft echo of jump shot after jump shot filtered in from the practice court just outside. Brook Lopez, one of the team’s free agent additions that summer, was camped out at the 3-point line for target practice.