How Brook Lopez went from interior beast to the best stretch 5 in the NBA

When Brook Lopez entered the NBA, he was known more as a rebounding force down low. Averaging eight boards a game in his first two seasons, most were of the thought the next formidable front court banger was developing. He and his brother Robin have done well for themselves over the years, and Brook Lopez, the seven-footer from Stanford - via North Hollywood, California - has resurrected his NBA career around the current trend of outside shooting to become the best stretch five in the NBA. How did that difficult transition happen?

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NBA Champions

The Brooklyn Nets selected Brook Lopez with the 10th overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft. The 13 year vet can now call himself an NBA champion. It's a goal for almost every NBA player, and Lopez adding his skills to the Milwaukee Bucks' championship run of 2021 cannot be understated. Like PJ Tucker, Brook Lopez can also hit the corner three and continue runs ignited by the unstoppable fire of Giannis Antetokounmpo. Mike Budenholzer made the necessary adjustments we'll talk about later.

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Nine years in Brooklyn

Brook Lopez averaged 19 points, 7 seven rebounds and a little less than two blocks in nine years with the Brooklyn Nets. Brook Lopez developed a reputation for being a versatile big able to control the block as well as a sneaky ability to score. Like any center, he will throw it down hard on the opposition, and his steady play over those nine years reminded some of a lesser Tim Duncan. He is the Brooklyn Nets all-time leading scorer.

Los Angeles Lakers loss

Brook Lopez, in one year out West, averaged a career-low 13 points in reduced time for the Los Angeles Lakers. His rebounding, blocks and minutes were also near career worsts. Small ball squeezed Lopez out of the rotation, and if he played in the fourth quarter in any game that was a shock. He grew disgruntled and the 1 year/22 million he earned in Los Angeles was basically a gap year contract.

Milwaukee Bucks gain

Paired with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez became an NBA force once again. He's playing 26 minutes a game in his three Milwaukee Bucks years, and isn't quite the scorer he once was, yet what makes Brook Lopez a definitive Bucks piece is his ability to stretch the defense when he's on the floor. He's the perfect compliment for Giannis in that when Giannis is doubled, Brook Lopez shades to the three-point line for spot-up jumpers that wreck the morale of the defense. It is highly unlikely that the Milwaukee Bucks will finish as the last team standing without the contribution of Brook Lopez off Antetokounmpo double teams. That doesn't mention the rebounding and defensive help that Lopez offers to a Mike Budenholzer-coached team.

What makes Brook Lopez the best stretch five in the NBA?

Let's shelve Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic as stretch fives. Brook Lopez, an NBA All-Star in 2013, fits the definition of a stretch five. If the definition of a stretch five is to expand the floor and create offensive opportunities for teammates, who else is better than Brook Lopez? Surely Mike Budenholzer will continue to use Brook Lopez higher on defense instead of sagging in the lane, which gives good shooting teams better chances on the perimeter, and as that happens, the Milwaukee Bucks will be even better defensively with Brook Lopez on the floor. That adjustment was huge in the NBA Finals, and employed this season, the Milwaukee Bucks will be a juggernaut defensively. Brook Lopez is entering his 14th season in the NBA, and could see all-star considerations if the Milwaukee Bucks record is bolstered by the play of Lopez. While that may be a stretch, Brook Lopez will most definitely make every night a hard one for the opposition. The opposition will have to pick its poison if it wants to upset the NBA champion Bucks, and when teams double Giannis, Brook Lopez, at the arc, will benefit.