The Milwaukee Bucks have been hot from deep in 2023

The Milwaukee Bucks have been hoisting a ton of three-point shots of late, and for those who are wondering, that ploy is by design.

Milwaukee’s transformation into a three-point shooting team started when Mike Budenholzer came on board as head coach, replacing Jason Kidd. However, it wasn't until this season that the Bucks’ penchant for taking a high volume of three-point shots became more evident.

New year, new Bucks

In fact, Milwaukee has attempted more triples than ever before this season, and the number of attempts from deep has increased incredibly since the beginning of the New Year.

In their first 35 games, the Bucks ranked seventh in the most number of three-point shots by attempting 37 triples per 100 possessions. They shot 34.5% from the three-point land in that stretch.

Since January 1st this year, the Bucks leaped from seventh to first when it comes to taking three-point shots. In their ten games since the new year, the Bucks are averaging 46.1 three-point attempts per 100 possessions, making 38.2% of those shots.

The pinnacle was when the Bucks went full trigger-happy and fired a franchise-record 57 three-point shots in their 102-108 loss to the Miami Heat on January 12th. Milwaukee hit 32 of those attempts for 38.6%.

Adjusting to the injuries

Giannis Antetokounmpo has missed four straight games due to knee soreness, and that forced the Bucks to launch more triples with limited options for getting buckets in the paint.

Expect Milwaukee to hoist even more shots from long-range when Khris Middleton returns. The 3x All-Star, who is hobbled by various injuries, has only played seven games this season and has missed Milwaukee’s last 17 games.

Milwaukee has definitely changed how they approach the game, and the coming months will show whether Mike Budelholzer’s plot will be proven a stroke of genius or unfortunate misjudgment.