Bucks' three-point shooting struggles coincide with Tony Snell's absence

First Mirza Teletovic went down with a right knee injury and then Matthew Dellavedova a few days later with left knee tendinitis. More recently, Jason Terry strained his left calf and Tony Snell was sidelined by left patellar tendinitis, missing the past five games for the Milwaukee Bucks.

As a team, the Bucks (15-13) aren't making any excuses when it comes to injuries, even in the midst of a three-game losing streak heading into Tuesday's 7 p.m. matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.

But those injuries have taken a toll. One area in particular that has worn down of late has been the team's three-point shooting — an area in which Teletovic, Dellavedova and Snell had provided positives this season. Teletovic and Dellavedova have each been out for more than a month, with the Bucks adjusting while continuing to have success on the court.

The gap left offensively when Snell went out, though, has yet to be adequately filled, especially when it comes to his long-range shooting.

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“Tony’s a big part of what we do," Khris Middleton said. "People sleep on him all the time thinking he’s just that fifth guy out there. He’s a great player for us. He spaces the floor, he’s a smart player. You can’t relax on him. … We can’t wait to get him back.”

Over the first 23 games, the Bucks made 36.5% of their three-point shots while attempting 24.3 per game. That percentage put them right in the middle of the NBA pack. During that time, Teletovic, Dellavedova and Snell combined to make 71 of 156 three-pointers (45.5%). Snell, the only one of those three who played in all 23 games, ranked fourth on the team in three-point attempts (82) and made a team-high 47.6%.

Over the past five games without Snell, the Bucks have actually attempted more three-pointers per game (25.6) but they've making fewer of them — just 31.3%. As a result, the Bucks have dropped from an average three-point shooting team to 20th in the league at 35.5%.

They've also gone 2-3 in that span. In those three losses, the Bucks' up-and-down defense has been on the descent, giving up 115 points in each of those games, and the offense — plagued by the inability to make open shots — hasn't been able to keep up.

“Right now for some reason we’re just not making open shots, but we’ve got to keep getting those shots and hopefully they turn into makes," head coach Jason Kidd said.

In Snell's absence, the Bucks' two highest-volume three-point shooters — Middleton and point guard Eric Bledsoe — have put up more three-pointers than usual.

Buoyed by 7 of 11 shooting in Milwaukee's wins over the Dallas Mavericks and Utah Jazz, Middleton has been slightly above his season average over the past five games, making 14 of 38 attempts (36.8%). His shooting over the three losses was a different story. He attempted nine three-pointers each game, many of them on open looks, and made just seven of those 27 attempts (25.9%).

Add in Bledsoe making only 9 of 32 three-pointers (28.1%) in the past five games and the Bucks' two most active and willing three-point shooters haven't provided the consistency the team needs from them, whether players are injured or not.

“We got great open looks, I got a lot that I’ve been missing lately," Middleton said. "We’ve proved we can be a great three-point shooting team when we get the open shots, we’ve just got to knock them down.”

Bledsoe, who on Saturday revealed he has been playing through a lingering left wrist injury, added: “We’re going to knock them down. It’s not going to keep happening. We’re just in a little slump right now, we’ve just got to fight through it.”

Middleton and Bledsoe aren't the only ones struggling with their outside shots. The rest of the team is 17 of 58 (29.3%) over the past five games. No one has provided a consistent threat, either in the starting lineup or off the bench.

Malcolm Brogdon is a 38.6% three-point shooter this season, but has cooled off following a blistering start to the season. He's made 5 of 20 triples over the past five games, buoyed by a 3-of-5 performance on Saturday.

Rashad Vaughn, one of the few players off the bench who isn't reluctant to take an open shot, has made 5 of 17 threes (29.4%) in added playing time. Giannis Antetokounmpo, who carries an immense load on both ends, has chipped in three treys on nine tries, but he won't provide enough volume on deep shots to make up for other losses — not to mention his greatest strengths are inside the arc.

The quartet of Gary Payton II (1 of 6), Thon Maker (1 of 4), Sterling Brown (1 of 1) and DeAndre Liggins (1 of 1) fill out the balance of Milwaukee's three-point shots.

Without some of their more entrenched rotation players, the Bucks have needed players from deeper on their bench to step up and contribute. While there have been some positive flashes, those players have been reticent to make plays on the offensive end, often demurring to either Middleton, Bledsoe or Giannis Antetokounmpo, depending on who is sharing the court with them.

That, along with teams switching defensively and creating perceived mismatches that the Bucks would like to exploit, has led to periods of stagnation and possessions that seem to idle around without going anywhere until someone needs to put up a tough shot late in the shot clock.

In crunch time is when that's hurt the most, with the Bucks staying close in each of the past three losses before fading down the stretch.

“We’ve just got to figure it out, figure out how to execute down the stretch, get what we want, especially when teams are switching," Middleton said. "Just not stay in iso ball, but keep attacking, find the right man and just keep driving it, trying to get a bucket and move the ball, try to use our teammates instead of just one-on-one.”

With the Cavaliers — owners of the league's third-best offensive rating — coming to town on Tuesday, the Bucks will either need to figure out how to stop them defensively or keep pace with their shooting. In two prior meetings Milwaukee has been unable to contain Cleveland, and those games were when the Bucks were at full strength or close to it.

The Bucks may not have any of their injured players back on Tuesday — their statuses remains unclear — which means ball movement and making open shots will be of paramount importance. Regardless, they're confident the shooting malaise they're in now will be lifted by the return of their injured comrades, especially Snell, whenever they're able to come back.

"Of course we need Tony back as soon as possible but he’s got to be healthy first of all," Antetokounmpo said. "When he’s back, he’s going to do what he’s been doing all year. He’s going to knock down those threes, give up some space and our three-point percentage is going to go up immediately.”