The Milwaukee Bucks have perfected the drop defense during Mike Budenholzer’s tenure, but should they focus on diversifying their defensive profile?

An ancient Greek poet Archilochus once wrote an essay about the fox and the hedgehog. Although the moral of the story applies to worldviews, we will adapt its meaning to the basketball court.

The fox is sly and has many tricks up its sleeve. It can climb trees to attack prey, sneak up on them, hide in the bushes, etc. It will use multiple tools to achieve its goal. On the other hand, the hedgehog doesn’t do a lot of things well, but is an expert at one defense; their spines are full of quills. Archilochus’s moral was, “the fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing.”

The Bucks’ defense plays the role of the hedgehog.

The primary defensive change Mike Budenholzer implemented when he took over as the head coach in 2018 was to run a drop defense. For those who are unfamiliar, a drop defense is a type of pick-and-roll coverage where the big man lingers closer to the basket when his man sets a ball-screen instead of coming up closer to the level of the pick.

Milwaukee runs an exaggerated iteration of this scheme, choosing to have their big men hang out well below the screen, often at or below the free throw line. With the ball-handler’s man fighting over the top of the pick, this deters threes and shots at the rim while encouraging pull-up, mid-range attempts.

When Pacers’ big Myles Turner sets the ball screen at the top of the key, Brook Lopez is just below the free throw line with no interest in coming any higher. Jrue Holiday slides over the screen to discourage the three while Lopez backpedals toward the rim to take away a close shot. This leaves a lot of space for Bennedict Mathurin to hit a 16-foot driving push shot.

Usually, Milwaukee is okay with this type of look. It’s a less efficient shot for most players than a layup or a three. They can’t take away everything.

And it’s hard to argue with the results. Including this season, Milwaukee’s defensive rating has ranked second or better in the NBA in three of Budenholzer’s five seasons, according to Cleaning the Glass. Their other two finishes were 10th and 14th. Their playoff results are even more impressive, ranking either first or third in each of their last four postseason appearances.

Milwaukee has proven to be a hedgehog. They know one big thing, and stick with it through thick or thin. But should they explore fox tendencies to unlock a greater potential?

The Bucks’ defense is predictable and boring. That comes with consistent dominance, but it can also have its weaknesses. Opponents know how to attack it, and the best teams have the best players who can take advantage of the open space Milwaukee gives in the mid-range. There are no secrets about what they want to do; it often comes down to who can execute better.

After allowing a season-high 76 first half points against the Indiana Pacers (partly due to their drop defense), Budenholzer used his in case of emergency break glass and implemented a different defensive scheme for the second half: Switching.

Milwaukee rarely rolls out their switching defense and only does so when it’s absolutely necessary. I suppose slipping in the Eastern Conference standings while losing two straight games and staring at a double-digit halftime deficit constitutes an emergency.

The strategy worked to perfection, as Milwaukee held Indiana to 43 second-half points and completed the comeback by earning a 13-point victory—a 24-point swing in just 24 minutes of game time.

Holiday starts the possession defending T.J. McConnell (who had a career-high in points in the first half alone) before handing him off to George Hill on the first screen. Hill then hands him off to Lopez when Turner sets a second pick. McConnell comes off the second screen with a burst of momentum and attacks downhill. Lopez weathers the storm, forcing a tough, contested fadeaway shot on the baseline. The rest of the Bucks do their job by gang-rebounding and helping out Hill on the seven-footer Turner.

The downfall of being a fox is that you don’t have time to master one skill. You may be adept at implementing multiple schemes, but those strategies aren’t at the highest level they could be. On the other hand, it keeps opponents guessing and also makes them prepares for multiple looks.

Budenholzer hasn’t given any reason why Milwaukee will suddenly become more fox-like. He’s stuck with his hedgehog strategy through thick and thin, and there is a lot more thin on the defensive end of the court this season. Still, it’s always nice to have a fox in your back pocket for emergencies.