Court Vision: Have the Bucks finally learned how to maximize Giannis?

Welcome to Court Vision, a weekly video-breakdown column on emerging trends around the NBA that you might have missed.

Budenholzer's plan to unleash Giannis

Mike Budenholzer has clued the Milwaukee Bucks into the obvious: The best way to maximize an unstoppable one-on-one player like Giannis Antetokounmpo is to space the floor with four shooters and have him go to work.

In fact, Milwaukee hoisted an amazing 45 threes in its first game under Budenholzer, which accounted for more than half of the team's total field-goal attempts. That's a big change, as the Bucks ranked 24th, 26th, 30th, 24th, and 25th in 3-point attempts throughout the first five seasons of Antetokounmpo's career. Sequences like the one below were few and far between under Larry Drew, Jason Kidd, and Joe Prunty:

Credit the front office for bringing in the right personnel to make it work. Brook Lopez and Ersan Ilysasova will clear the paint in a way that John Henson, Tyler Zeller, and Thon Maker never could. While Lopez and Ilyasova can still run pick-and-rolls like traditional bigs, they can also fade into the corners to feast off wide-open threes when centers inevitably help on Antetokounmpo's relentless drives to the rim.

Mo Bamba's length is legit

The last thing the Orlando Magic needed was another center to further complicate their frontcourt logjam, but they couldn't pass on Mo Bamba's ridiculous upside.

Bamba posted the longest wingspan ever measured in the NBA draft combine's database at 7-foot-10. In case you need a frame of reference, here’s Bamba going up and over a fully outstretched 7-foot-3 center in Joel Embiid during their preseason tilt Monday.

Orlando insists that Nikola Vucevic isn’t on the trade block, but it’s only a matter of time before Bamba inherits the starting job at center. The rookie's a mobile and ready-made rim-protector who can also hit open threes, which makes him a perfect complement alongside a small-ball four like Aaron Gordon or Jonathan Isaac. Vucevic gets his numbers efficiently, but he’s too much of a defensive liability to serve as a long-term cornerstone.

While Bamba awaits the inevitable Vucevic trade, he should focus on building his strength. Embiid trained with Bamba in the offseason, so he knew exactly how to expose his weakness, pummeling the first-year player in the post as Bamba conceded four fouls in eight minutes because he couldn’t hold his position. The 20-year-old could eventually be in the conversation for Defensive Player of the Year if he patches up that area of his game.

A very poor man’s Nash and Stoudemire

With all due respect to Jeremy Lin’s courageous recovery from knee surgery, and to the last act of Vince Carter's eternal career, Trae Young running pick-and-rolls with John Collins is the only reason to watch the 2018-19 Hawks.

If you squint hard enough, you can see some resemblance to Steve Nash and Amar'e Stoudemire. Young is a lethal shooter and an even craftier playmaker, while the hyper-athletic Collins is a highlight waiting to happen. Their skill sets fit perfectly - Young forces bigs to leave the paint and Collins only needs a sliver of space to explode. They’ll give it all back on defense, but that’s another concern altogether.

The redshirt rookie

Confidence is everything. Lacking it rendered Markelle Fultz useless in his rookie year, and he apparently took 150,000 jumpers this past summer to get it back. Suddenly, he looks like an entirely different player, and he's been thrust into the starting unit for a 52-win team trying to make the jump into championship contention.

It’s too early for any firm conclusions, but it’s impossible to deny the progress Fultz has made with his jump shot to date. He's eagerly launching his rehabilitated jumper at every opportunity, and he’s moving freely without fear of being ignored by the defense. Fultz hit his first career 3-pointer on Monday against the Magic and canned another four pull-ups. Each jumper drew an uproarious reaction from the home crowd, which should do wonders for the sophomore's confidence.

Now that the yips are gone, Fultz needs to learn the offense. Philadelphia’s attack is predicated on moving without the ball, and right now Fultz is either holding onto the rock too long before making his move, or he’s cutting into the path of his teammates. None of this should come as a surprise, as he's essentially a redshirt rookie.

One thing to watch for is the effect of Fultz replacing JJ Redick in the starting five. The sharpshooting Redick was the second-leading scorer for the most efficient lineup in basketball last season, and Fultz will force the Sixers to change their style of play. The change puts Philadelphia in a familiar bind - should they look to maximize the present by playing Redick or take some lumps for the future by giving Fultz a chance? As always, the answer is to trust the process.

More patience for Hayward

Outside of the expected rust from 11 months on the shelf, Gordon Hayward looks confused in his role as the de facto power forward in the Celtics' starting lineup.

Hayward is used to being the primary creator, but for now he's the fourth option playing away from the ball. His role is limited to setting screens or posting up smaller players, and it's clear the transition will be difficult. After three games, he's shooting 5-of-20 from the field, 1-of-10 from deep, and he's a minus-38 in 59 minutes.

Finding the right role for Hayward will be the biggest challenge for the Celtics this season, as their crowded wing rotation can only be resolved through one of two sacrifices. Hayward either needs to learn how to attack and defend power forwards, or one of Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown must slide to the bench to create a more conventional lineup. Neither situation is ideal, but resolving the former would allow Boston to play its best five players at once.

Regardless, Hayward's offense should come once he gets his explosion back. With or without the ball, he should be able to score inside. A fully healthy Hayward would finish sequences like this with a dunk:

Melo learning to be self-aware in Year 16

Carmelo Anthony is showing some overdue growth and maturity in Houston.

Not only is he warming to the notion of coming off the bench, but he openly apologized to his coaches for hitting one of his signature mid-range jumpers in a game. You never could've imagined this camaraderie between Anthony and Mike D'Antoni when they butted heads in New York six years ago.

Winning an NBA championship is the only thing missing from Anthony's surefire Hall of Fame resume, which is why he took the minimum to join Houston. Anthony could change the entire narrative of his career if he settles into his role - and so far, he's off to a good start.