Four things to watch for in revamped Celtics-Bucks matchup

Measuring stick games are few and far between in the midst of an 82-game season but the Celtics will put themselves to the test on Wednesday night against the reigning MVP and the Milwaukee Bucks. Both sides are fully healthy outside of Enes Kanter (sore knee), in what will be the first crack for Boston at Milwaukee since an embarrassing defeat last year in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. That result led to plenty of overhaul in Boston as eight new players will get their first look at the top team in the East while in green. What are the new dynamics at play in tonight’s matchup? Let’s sort through the new personnel and what to keep an eye on as the C’s try to prove they belong among the elite in the East.

Meet the new Bucks

Key new additions: Wesley Matthews, Robin Lopez, Kyle Korver

Key subtractions: Malcolm Brogdon, Nikola Mirotic, Tony Snell

Analysis: On the whole, these moves feel like a net negative for Milwaukee. Korver and Matthews are veteran sharpshooters but neither is close to the player that Brogdon is at this stage of their careers. Brogdon was a constant thorn in the side of Boston with his 3-point shooting and quickness in getting to the rim so the C’s coaching staff had to be excited to see him go to Indiana.

That won’t necessarily make defending the Bucks much easier. Korver and Matthews are elite 3-point shooters when they get open looks and they will be getting plenty all year long when playing alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton. The Bucks also lost a stretch shooter in Mirotic to Spain and they made a curious decision to replace him with Robin Lopez, who does not have 3-point range. Lopez will provide good length and rim protection but he does not enhance the Bucks’ offensive game much. Perhaps he was added as insurance for Milwaukee’s bigs the Bucks play huge all game long now with a frontline of the Lopez brothers, Antetokounmpo and Ersan Ilyasova.

Where did they improve?

Perimeter shooting: Korver is one of the best 3-point shooters in NBA history while Matthews is a career 38.2 percent shooters from downtown. Both of these shooting guards should be getting more open 3s than ever in this offense. The Bucks are already shooting better from long range than last year even with slow starts from Giannis and Eric Bledsoe beyond the arc. With nine players taking more than three attempts from 3-point range per game, the C’s defense will need to be at its scrambling best to prevent a scoring barrage.

Where did they get worse?

Defense: Matthews and Korver may be shooters but they are also well into their 30s, which puts their best defensive days behind them. One of them will be forced to chase a speedy wing whenever they are on the floor so that has left the Bucks defense a little bit vulnerable in the early going. Milwaukee has given up 111 points or more in their first three games and remain firmly in the middle of the pack (14th) in defensive rating despite not facing teams with a ton of offensive firepower (Heat, Cavs). The C’s have had their issues on the offensive end early but this is an area that can be attacked for Milwaukee as the Bucks prioritize defending the rim above everything else.

What to watch for in Celtics-Bucks

1. Who defends Giannis? Boston’s top two defenders against the big man (Al Horford, Aron Baynes) are no longer in town, which forces the assignment towards smaller players on Boston’s roster. I’d expect a revolving door of Daniel Theis, Grant Williams, Rob Williams and Jaylen Brown to get their opportunities but Brad Stevens will be watching closely to see whether one of the Williamses has the strength/speed to keep Antetokounmpo out of the paint. Look for whoever starts at center to get that assignment out of the gate but I’d think a healthy amount of time on Antetokounmpo goes to the wings and potentially Marcus Smart who saw some success on him during the World Cup.

2. Playing fast: The Bucks play at the fastest pace in the league but the C’s starting personnel should give them the foot speed advantage over the Bucks at a number of positions. Guys like Rob Williams and Jaylen Brown should be able to defeat their men down the floor in transition so the C’s need to take advantage of that personnel in transition whenever they have the opportunity.

“We have to use our speed,” Williams said. “Some coaches have been drilling that in our heads. We just need to stick to a great gameplan.”

3. Will Bucks try to take advantage of their size advantage in the post? The odds are the C’s will put a wing-like Gordon Hayward and Jayson Tatum on true bigs like Brook or Robin Lopez for much of the game. The Bucks preach getting back on defense, which helps to eliminate some of the offensive rebounding threat but the C’s will essentially be daring the Bucks to post up with some of these matchups. Will Milwaukee take the bait?

4. Can the Celtics start hitting 3s? They’ve knocked down just 33 percent of their attempts from downtown on the season even after a red-hot second half at Madison Square Garden. With the Lopez brothers and Antetokounmpo looming at the rim, the priority will be finding open looks from 3-point range for Kemba Walker and company. Secondary shooters like Brown (28 percent), Smart (26 percent) and Carsen Edwards (22 percent) will need to snap out of their funk for the C’s to keep pace. Meanwhile, a true Boston big (0/7 combined in three games) needs to chip in from downtown.