NBA 2019-20: 3 areas where the Milwaukee Bucks need to improve in the 2nd half of the season

The Milwaukee Bucks have easily been the best team in the NBA this season. They have a 40-6 record and have been head and shoulders above the rest.

The Bucks have been great on both sides of the floor. They have absolutely been dominating their opponents and have the best points differential in the league.

The Bucks lead the NBA in points scored per game and total rebounds. They are also the second best team in the NBA when it comes to blocks per game. The entire supporting cast has been great for the Bucks. Giannis has been playing at an MVP level. He is currently leading the MVP race and is having an unstoppable season. The Bucks have a great team in place and should be able to come out of the Eastern Conference.

But there are still some areas that the Bucks need to improve upon. Here are the 3 areas in which the Bucks need an improvement.

#3 Perimeter defending

The Bucks have great length at the forward position. They also have great depth at the center position with the Lopez brothers dominating the position.

Eric Bledsoe is a terrific player. He is averaging 16 points per game on an outstanding 48% shooting from the field. Wesley Matthews is not having a great season but is still a great outside shooter. He is shooting over 37% from the 3PT line.

The Bucks are lacking an elite defensive presence on the perimeter. They are a great overall defensive team and have the best defensive rating in the league but need to tighten up on the perimeter as they concede too many points from the 3PT line. This would be one of the major improvement areas for them heading into the second half of the season.

#2 Offensive rebounding

The Bucks are the best rebounding team in the league. They lead the NBA averaging 51.2 rebounds per game. Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the league leaders in rebounds. He grabs around 13 rebounds per game for the Bucks.

The second best rebounder on the Bucks is Khris Middleton who is grabbing around 6 rebounds per game. But most of the rebounds grabbed by the Bucks are one the defensive end of the floor where they create empty possessions for their opponents due to their great team defending. The Bucks are a very poor team when it comes to creating 2nd chance points. They are ranked 17th in the league in 2nd chance points.

Some of the best teams in the NBA this season like Clippers, Mavericks and Lakers occupy top spots when it comes to 2nd chance points. The Bucks have to try and get more effort and energy on the offensive boards. They are a leading contender for the championship and need to improve their offensive rebounding to become even more unbeatable.

#1 Free throw accuracy

The Bucks have the 29th ranked team in the league when it comes to Free throw accuracy. They shoot only around 72% from the line and that can make matters difficult for them in tough crunch situations.

Giannis is also struggling a lot from the FT line. While he is one of the best players in the league when it comes to drawing fouls, he is not able to utilize that with full capacity because of poor free throw shooting. Giannis is shooting only 60% from the line and that has made it difficult for him in some matches. He has improved his 3PT shooting but also needs to work on his free throw shooting in the 2nd half of the season.

The Bucks are an elite team and are expected to contend for the title. They need to remove some of their weaknesses as there are plenty of other teams who can capitalize on the chinks in their armor. Anything short of a championship will be considered poor for Giannis and the Bucks.