When Mike Budenholzer was named coach of the
Milwaukee Bucks this offseason, he instructed the video coordinators to tape five blue squares on the team's practice courts. The 1.5-foot-by-1.5-foot boxes are arranged outside the 3-point arc: two in the corners, two at the angles and one at the top of the key.
Taping down the squares (with special court tape) took nearly an hour and a half and five people. The Bucks used video coordinator Schuyler Rimmer's size-16 shoes to make sure the squares had enough space for an NBA player's oversized feet.
The locations designate where the Bucks should be positioned to start possessions in their five-out offense.
In past seasons, Milwaukee's offense suffered from stagnation and too much traffic in the paint. The squares, Budenholzer tells ESPN, are guidelines to help with offensive flow and floor spacing so All-Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo can slash freely to the basket.
The results have been promising: Antetokounmpo leads the league this season with 55 unassisted dunks -- more than double Utah's Rudy Gobert, who is second with 23 unassisted slams. The emphasis on spacing has also helped the Bucks tie for the league lead in 3-pointers made per game with 14.0, a drastic improvement from last season's 27th-ranked 8.8 3-pointers per game
Bucks space floor with five-out set.
The Bucks revitalized their offense in the offseason and now lead the league in scoring. Check out how their "five-out" strategy creates spacing and opportunities.
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