Milwaukee Bucks GM says Brook Lopez is getting better with age

Brook Lopez is defying Father Time.

© Mike Watters-USA

Milwaukee Bucks big man Brook Lopez is 35 years old and is playing in his 15th season in the NBA. Despite the mileage on his body, the man known as "Splash Mountain" is coming off one of the best seasons of his career, where he helped lead the Bucks to the league's best record in the regular season and finished as runner-up in the race for the Defensive Player of the Year award.

This has pleasantly surprised Bucks general manager Jon Horst, who's amazed at how Lopez is seemingly getting better with time.

"He's just trending in the right direction," Horst said in a recent talk with The Athletic.

A vital piece of the puzzle

Heading into the off-season, there were concerns regarding the free-agent status of Lopez. While there were numerous teams that reportedly had a desire to sign the versatile 7-footer, he eventually returned to Milwaukee, signing a two-year, $48-million-deal. This means the Bucks' core of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton, and Lopez will return to contend for another NBA championship.

"I think last year it wasn't a fluke that he scored the way he did, he shot the way he did. He led the league in total blocks. He had career years in field goal percentage and 3-point percentage, scoring and rebounding the highest it's been in five or six years," Horst pointed out.

Most blocks by a player last year:

— Brook Lopez: 193
— Jaren Jackson Jr, Nic Claxton: 189

Both Lopez and Claxton played 13+ more games 😳 pic.twitter.com/zol4rMSjWT

— Jaren Muse (@JarenMuse_) July 16, 2023

Much-deserved contract

While some may balk at the contract Lopez was given because of his age and a relatively recent back surgery that limited him to just 13 games during the 2021-2022 season, Horst says they're confident in the former All-Star center.

"He had a career year. Sometimes it can get lost when you isolate it and just say, 'Man, he had a career year.' He's had good year after good year after good year. It just keeps getting better. I think he's just really smart. He works really hard, takes care of his body and he just keeps getting better and better," Horst said.