Dropping a close game on the road against the Denver Nuggets wasn’t the way the Bucks probably envisioned following up an uninspired effort against the Boston Celtics. Things only get tougher from here on out, as well, as LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers visit town. After making a NBA Finals appearance last year in which a surprisingly competitive series emerged, Cleveland did their best to keep all their pieces together for another run at a championship. Thus, the team the Bucks ran into last season is largely the same this year, though roster composition changes don’t matter nearly as much when LeBron happens to be on the team. Will the Bucks be able to slow the Cavs down? We check it out in tonight’s preview:

The Logistics

When – 7:30 PM Central

Where – BMO Harris Bradley Center, Milwaukee, WI

TV & Radio – FS Wisconsin; 620 WTMJ

Probable Starters

Cleveland Cavailers (8-1) Milwaukee Bucks (4-5) Mo Williams PG Tyler Ennis/Michael Carter-Williams JR Smith SG Khris Middleton LeBron James SF Giannis Antetokounmpo Kevin Love PF Jabari Parker Timofey Mozgov C Greg Monroe

Storylines of the Night

Cavs Update

To put it lightly, the Cavs have been dominant since dropping their season opener on the road against Chicago. 3rd in offensive rating and 8th in defense, the Cavaliers look mostly to slow down into a half-court system whenever and wherever possible to grind away at opponents. While the roster has plenty of players who may have sticky hands when the ball gets to them during an offensive set (i.e. LeBron, JR Smith, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, etc.) head coach David Blatt has done a great job putting together an offense that excels in assisting on shots (24.3/game; 5th in NBA), converting a sizable portion of shot attempts (51.3% eFG%), scooping up every rebound possible (79.4% DRB%), and generally having James on the roster).

At the end of the day, however, most things for Cleveland begin and end with LeBron. There have been some concerns regarding his body condition especially given news of issues with his back. Now into his 13th year in the league, James might start really feeling the effects all the high minutes and workload he’s had to shoulder throughout his career. That may end up being a bigger problem down the stretch of the season as his current production totals show no sign of his slowing down. If anything, his usage rate has actually seen an uptick from last year from 32.3% to 33.1% of possessions ending up with him being the beneficiary. That number may lower a bit once Kyrie Irving returns from a nagging leg injury, but for now the key to slowing the Cavs down is making sure that LeBron is kept as much under wraps as is humanely possible.

Jabari Back In

True to his word of a few weeks ago, head coach Jason Kidd decided to give Jabari Parker the night off on Thursday due to the game in Denver being the back of a back-to-back series. This evening Parker returns to the starting lineup, a move which could make a great difference for an offense that has sputtered recently when Greg Monroe and Giannis Antetokounmpo aren’t hitting.

Last season in the midst of his rookie campaign, Parker flashed his scoring abilities on a multitude of occasions. This year has seen his shot selection shift a little bit pushing him farther out from the rim. Previously, 62.7% of his attempts came from within 10 feet of the basket while this year has seen a role reversal with 56% of shots coming from beyond 10 feet. His %s from that distance lie at 28.6% belying how inefficient those types of shots have been so far for him. As he continues to gel into the mix with the other starters and gets a better feel for his body control, don’t be surprised if his heat map gets closer and closer to the paint. He’s had a full assortment of impressive dunks and moves in the interior thus far so now it is a matter of making that a focus.

Point Guard Problems Galore

While we eagerly await the return of Michael Carter-Williams (who was upgraded today to probable status for tonight’s game), the past few days have given the Bucks plenty to think about regarding their current guard corps composition. Tyler Ennis has looked like a decent replacement for stretches of play as he did his best to distribute as much as possible to teammates and took as few bad shots as possible. He’s probably not a long-term answer, however, as a starter unless injuries decimate the team once again. His shooting percentages are way up over last year (36.1% from the floor to 47.8% so far this season), but he’s never been one to be the featured scorer within an offense and his assist:turnover ratio sits at 1.4:1.2. All factors considered, however, there may still be something to work with regarding Ennis.

The other two primary guards, Jerryd Bayless and Greivis Vasquez, have been something to behold so far this year. While the structure of the offense is meant to de-emphasize the role of the guards in putting the ball into the basket, the minimal offensive productivity from the reserves available have forced Vasquez and Bayless to play a lot of guard-dominant ball thus far. Luckily for Milwaukee, even when the two-guard tandem is in they’ve been able to get by on Bayless going off from time to time. Unluckily for Milwaukee, Vasquez has played about as mediocre as one can get. That could be a function of a slow start to the year (a problem prevalent for many Bucks) or issues trying to integrate and get a feel for how to facilitate the offense. Billed as a categorical distance shooter and passable ball distributor, Vasquez has so far posted a 16.7% percentage from three. If he’s going to continue to take so many threes, it is key that he begins to actually, you know, make a few as well.

Thank God MCW is back.