The Milwaukee Bucks are going to look much different when they take the floor next season. With Damian Lillard now with the Portland Trail Blazers and the arrival of former rival center Myles Turner, the composition of their roster has been changed dramatically in just one offseason, which will require the Bucks to play a different brand of basketball in 2025-26.

During a conversation with The Athletic, Bucks general manager Jon Horst revealed that one of the stylistic changes he would like the Bucks to make next season involves their 3-point shooting.

"Last year, we were the best 3-point shooting team in the NBA efficiency-wise, average at best in frequency. I think we were probably like 15, 16, 17," Horst said in July in Las Vegas. "I think if we get that number into the top 10 and we stay in the top two or three percentage-wise, it's going to have a big impact on our productivity throughout the season. Our style of play will allow us to do that, and the talent we have will allow us to do that."

With Giannis Antetokounmpo moving to a larger playmaking role, surrounding him with as many 3-point shooters as possible and having those players attempt a ton of 3s is perfectly logical. But getting into the top 10 in 3-point frequency might not be an easy task, especially considering the Bucks will be without the services of one of the game's most prolific 3-point shooters in Lillard, who ranks fourth all-time in made attempts.

To get it done, the Bucks will need to make philosophical and stylistic changes to catch the top teams in a league that has increased its focus on shooting more 3s over the last decade.

How can the Bucks accomplish Horst's stated goal? Let's take a closer look.

Horst's general assessment of the Bucks' 3-point offense last season was correct. The Bucks posted the best 3-point percentage during the 2024-25 regular season by knocking down 38.7 percent. But their 36.6 3-point attempts per game only ranked 18th.

The Bucks were a slower-paced team, so it might be better to consider what percentage of their shots were taken behind the 3-point line rather than the raw number. Even using that number, the Bucks still finished only 14th in 3-point frequency, with 39.1 percent of their shots coming behind the arc.

The Bucks' 36.6 3-point attempts per game were the fewest they've taken since Jason Kidd's final season in Milwaukee, where they only took 24.7 3s per game and finished 25th in attempts per contest. During five seasons with former head coach Mike Budenholzer at the helm, the Bucks never finished lower than eighth in 3-point attempts per game. In 36 games under Doc Rivers following the firing of Adrian Griffin, the Bucks took the second-most 3-pointers per game to close out the 2023-24 regular season. Last season represented a significant decline in 3-point frequency.

While the team figures are important, it's also necessary to examine the numbers for individual players on the roster.

Last season, the Bucks had eight players take more than three 3s per game, but their leader in attempts, Lillard, is no longer on the roster. Neither is Brook Lopez, who attempted the fourth-most 3-pointers per game. Lillard finished the season 11th in the NBA in individual 3-point attempts per contest last season, but the Bucks' next-most frequent 3-point shooter, Gary Trent Jr., finished the season tied for 59th (5.9) with 10 other players.

In closing the season with Lillard out of the lineup because of his issue with deep vein thrombosis, the Bucks leaned further into using Antetokounmpo at "point guard" and surrounding him with 3-point shooting. Horst and the Bucks have stated they plan on using that same plan in 2025-26, but it's worth noting the Bucks shot fewer 3-pointers per game to close the regular season without Lillard.

Lillard played his last regular-season game with the Bucks on March 18, a 104-93 loss to the Golden State Warriors that dropped Milwaukee's record to 38-30. In the first 68 games of the season, the Bucks attempted 37 3s per game at a 38.3 percent clip. In the final 14 games, the Bucks attempted only 35 3s per game, but knocked down a staggering 40.6 percent from deep. So, while they were attempting two fewer 3-pointers per game, they averaged more makes (14.2 to 14.1) in the final portion of the season.

While shooting more 3s may seem as easy as chucking up more shots from deep, the entire league has been trying to increase its 3-point volume year-over-year for much of the last decade. Opposing defenses understand the value of 3s for NBA offenses, so it may not be the easiest goal for the Bucks to accomplish for the upcoming season.

Let's start with what the Bucks are losing in Lillard. Exchanging him for the point guard corps of Kevin Porter Jr., Cole Anthony and Ryan Rollins will be a significant change in regards to the Bucks' 3-point volume.

Last season, the top five teams in 3-point attempts per game were the Celtics (48.2), Warriors (42.4), Bulls (42), Cleveland Cavaliers (41.5) and Minnesota Timberwolves (39.9). The Celtics (16.8), Timberwolves (14.7) and Cavaliers (13.8) were the three teams to take the most 3s off the dribble per game, and the Warriors (11.8) were seventh in pull-up 3s per game. Shooting a lot of 3s off the dribble is not necessary to push a team into the upper echelon of 3-point volume, but it does help the bottom line for 3-point attempts.

It will come as no surprise that the teams listed above had individual players who launch pull-up 3s at a high frequency. Anthony Edwards led all players in pull-up 3s per game with 7.6. Jayson Tatum was second with 7.2. Stephen Curry (seventh) averaged 6.1 per game, and Donovan Mitchell (eighth) took 5.5.

Notably, Lillard was ninth with 5.4. After Lillard, Trent was next on the team with only 1.4 per game.

That could end up being a problem for the Bucks as they try to increase their 3-point volume this season. Being able to create looks off the bounce is an elite skill that only a limited number of players can do at a high level, and based off last season, Milwaukee does not have a player who can do that anywhere near Lillard's level. That may change for a number of the roster players this season with increased roles and any potential changes in philosophy, but reaching Lillard's rate and frequency as an off-the-dribble 3-point threat will be difficult for anyone.

Now, let's move to the idea of building the offensive game plan around surrounding Antetokounmpo with 3-point shooters.

Antetokounmpo is the league's most imposing physical force on the offensive end, playing at an MVP level year after year, and Horst filled the roster with 3-point shooters, so the idea makes sense. But what is the ceiling of such an idea? How many 3-point shots can a heliocentric offensive engine create?

Last season, according to Second Spectrum, the league leader in potential 3-point assists per game was Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young with 10. Antetokounmpo finished the season 13th in the category with eight; Lillard actually finished above him at fifth with 8.7. It is, however, worth noting that while Young also led the league with 20.8 potential assists per game, Antetokounmpo averaged only 11.1. That means 72.1 percent of Antetokounmpo's potential assists went for 3s, compared to only 48 percent of Young's.

With even more of the playmaking burden placed onto Antetokounmpo, it is possible he can create even more looks from 3 for his teammates -- and even more looks for his teammates overall -- but he will need some help from those around him.

The Bucks might not be asking one of their point guards to average 24.9 points and 7.1 assists per game next to Antetokounmpo like Lillard did last season, but teams will force the ball out of Antetokounmpo's hands and make other players become the ones to make the plays. The Bucks' point guard corps will need to either step up their playmaking or commit to taking and knocking down even more 3-pointers for the Bucks to achieve Horst's stated goal.

Outside of asking Antetokounmpo to create more 3-point attempts for his teammates and the team's point guard corps stepping up their playmaking, there is even more the Bucks could do from a strategic standpoint to increase their volume next season.

Each of those individual adjustments might not make a massive difference alone in the Bucks' 3-point volume, but using more aggressive shooting tactics in all facets of the offensive game plan could help juice the team's volume.

Rivers might not want the Bucks to shoot as many 3s as the Celtics, but with players like Trent and AJ Green at shooting guard, plus strong 3-point shooting options like Taurean Prince, Bobby Portis and Turner throughout the roster, the Bucks should be thinking about how to make small changes that could add up to a significant difference in their attempt rate.

In the end, losing Lillard will have a massive impact on the way in which Rivers puts together his offensive game plan. They will be forced to create and take shots in multiple ways and lean on different playmakers to create an above-average offense and win games. They can put together a game plan that increases their 3-point volume from last season, but it will require conscious decisions and cohesive principles that the team strictly adheres to on a nightly basis.

Bucks plans for 3-point shooting without Damian Lillard: What changes can be made?