Taurean Prince Could Be Answer to Bucks' Small-Ball Lineups

Ever since winning the 2021 NBA title, the Milwaukee Bucks have struggled to find a player that can effectively be used in small-ball lineups with Giannis Antetokounmpo at center. That could change after having signed Taurean Prince during the offseason.

Cody Smith | Sep 9, 2024

Los Angeles Lakers forward Taurean Prince (12) reacts after scoring a three point basket against the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2023-24. / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

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Milwaukee Bucks

MILWAUKEE — During its 2021 NBA championship run, the Milwaukee Bucks successfully used a small lineup that featured P.J. Tucker and guard Pat Connaughton. Both players did well off the glass and held their own defensively enough for the Bucks to take advantage of the offensive floor spacing that was created by not playing without a true center.

Since that postseason run that ended with their second championship in franchise history, the Bucks have struggled to find the power forward needed to unlock another small-ball lineup. They've tried to replicate that success by using Semi Ojeleye in 2021-22 and then with Jae Crowder over the past two seasons, but neither of them were able to capture the magic from that 2021 group. It's clearly something Milwaukee has been trying to recapture ever since.

That's where Taurean Prince enters the equation.

Earlier this offseason Bucks general manager Jon Horst discussed the Prince signing with The Athletic, describing the former Los Angeles Laker as a "big wing" and a player that is "highly effective in guarding tough matchups, really through the two through four." Horst's comments suggest that Milwaukee believes Prince could see some action at power forward in some capacity. If he can do that, then there's room to believe he could be featured in a small-ball lineup alongside Antetokounmpo in the front court at various points.

According to positional estimates from Cleaning the Glass, Prince played almost 9 percent of his 2,093 non-garbage time minutes at power forward last season, with 289 of those 402 possessions coming with Anthony Davis playing center for the Lakers.

Those lineups featuring Prince and Davis in the frontcourt seemed to fare well above-average, per Cleaning the Glass:

126.3 points scored per 100 possessions (98th percentile league-wide)
103.4 points allowed per 100 possessions (99th percentile)
A plus-22.9 net rating (100th percentile)
The team hauled in 83.6 percent of available defensive rebounds (100th percentile)

One of the biggest troubles a small-ball lineup can have is being able to rebound, especially on defense. Last season marked the first time that a small-ball lineup featuring Prince at power forward was able to clean up on the glass.

While there is no true carbon-copy of Antetokounmpo's impact as a defensive chess piece, Davis is about as close as you can get in that regard. The fact that Prince was the power forward paired with Davis in featured small-ball lineups suggest that the Bucks could potentially find success using Prince in similar fashion this season with Antetokounmpo at center.

Being that the sample size of all those numbers and lineups were limited, there's no definitive way to know whether or not the Bucks can find success using Prince as a power forward this time around with Antetokounmpo at center. However, the fact that the Prince-Davis pairing did so well together is definitely something to note before the 2024-25 season gets underway next month.

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