Bucks Zone

Has Brook Lopez found the fountain of youth?

Is the fountain of youth located on Splash Mountain?
Matthew Dugandzic|
© Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

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Milwaukee Bucks

Let's face it: not everyone in the NBA will be a LeBron James or Stephen Curry, where age is seemingly just a number. When players reach the age of 34, a decline in performance is expected, and one of the few who seem to be making a mockery of this norm is the Milwaukee Bucks' center, Brook Lopez. His performance this season has been nothing short of remarkable, proving that he may have found the proverbial fountain of youth!

Getting better with age

On Monday, the 7-footer proved yet again that he is for real this season as he dropped 30 points against the New Orleans Pelicans on a hyper-efficient 12-of-17 from the field, including four makes from deep. The big man showcased his entire repertoire, scoring on threes, slams, and rolls to the basket in this play:

With averages of 14.6 points on 49% shooting, including 39% from beyond the arc, the man known as Splash Mountain is enjoying his best scoring season in Milwaukee, helping the Bucks get the best record in the league as of this writing.

"He's just playing with a lot of confidence and we need this," Antetokounmpo said when asked about Lopez's play this season.

"We need this on our team, we need this right now. We need that energy from anybody we can get it and it's good to see that Brook is in a good place."

Spurring the Bucks' defense

As efficient as Lopez has been on offense, his play on the defensive end is really driving his performance. Lopez has doubled his blocks this season, going from 1.2 last season to a league-best 2.7 this season. Lopez's performance on the defensive end has spurred the Bucks to rank second in defensive rating at 107.3 points allowed per 100 possessions and first in opponents' effective field goal percentage at 51.1%.

Lopez's resurgence this season has been nothing short of remarkable. At 34 years old, he's playing the best basketball of his career and proving that age is just a number. If this continues, Lopez may have truly found the fountain of youth – and it's working wonders for the Bucks!

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Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.