Giannis Antetokounmpo's greatness is well documented. The superstar big man has been the face of the Milwaukee Bucks for years and his performance on Thursday night against the Indiana Pacers was the best we have seen so far out of any player across the NBA during the 2023-24 season. In 36 total minutes, Giannis recorded 54 points on 19-of-25 shooting, while also tallying 12 total rebounds. His 54 points are the most scored out of any player in the league this season.
Even with Antetokounmpo's heroics and NBA season-high in scoring, the Bucks were still unable to get past the Pacers, falling 126-124 due to some clutch shots late in the game by Indiana. Milwaukee is now 5-3 on the season, a record most teams would be thrilled with. From the Bucks' perspective, they can be much better than what we have seen so far.
Now, many would point to Damian Lillard being out and claim that the Bucks would have won against the Pacers if Dame had played, but that's not necessarily true. Due to the fact that Lillard was sidelined with right calf soreness, Giannis was able to do what he does best – lead Milwaukee as a one-man army.
In the past, this has resulted in wins for the Bucks during the regular season. The team went 3-0 last season when The Greek Freak had at least 50 points in a game. The Bucks were also a great defensive team last year.
The same cannot be said about this group through eight games.
Against the Pacers, the Bucks shot 52.9 percent from the floor and made 23 free-throws compared to Indiana's 18 made free-throws. Milwaukee made just nine threes over the course of the game, but the offense wasn't the concern here. Thursday night was the third straight game, fifth overall this season, in which the Bucks allowed their opponents to score at least 118 points.
No matter how many points you score, it simply does not matter if your opponent scores more. That was the case for the Bucks against the Pacers and this has started to become a reoccurring theme for Milwaukee early on during the 2023-24 season.
Bucks lack defensive intensity
Through their first eight games of the season, it's very clear to see that the Bucks have a variety of problems on the defensive side of the floor. Maybe Jrue Holiday masked a lot of these issues because of how good he is defensively, but the biggest thing that stands out is Milwaukee's inability to keep their opponents in front of them. The Bucks look slow, flat-footed, and teams are finding a ton of success attacking them in transition.
The Pacers played well on Thursday night and were simply making their shots from the perimeter. When you hit 20 or more threes in a game, you aren't going to suffer many loses. From the Bucks' perspective though, they gave up a lot of wide-open threes, and Indiana exposed them by pushing the tempo late in the game.
On the season, the Bucks are surrendering an average of 18.1 points per game in fast break opportunities, the second-worst average in the entire league. Khris Middleton has struggled to find his footing after offseason knee surgery, Damian Lillard has never been revered to be a factor defensively, and the Bucks really don't have any players known for their defensive abilities other than Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez.
“Late in games, that’s what it’s going to come down to – getting stops. Tonight, we couldn’t,” Middleton said in his postgame remarks. “So, it’s just figuring out how we can keep the ball in front. How can we keep the whole team out of rotations, which they did a great job of the majority of the game. And like I’ve said, we’re going to get there.
“We’re going to watch this, figure out how to get better, learn how to clean things up on that side of the ball because it’s going to make our offensive end so much better.”
Defense comes down to effort and intensity, two things that are non-existent right now. The Bucks have allowed their opponents to shoot 48.7 percent from the floor, 36.7 percent from three-point range, and they are giving up an average of 120.3 points per game to opposing teams. All of these averages rank near the bottom of the league.
In the backcourt, Holiday and Grayson Allen were two very underappreciated on-ball defenders. Jevon Carter, who held a big role as one of the first players off the bench for the Bucks last season, was always known for his defensive effort in Milwaukee. Out on the wing, Jae Crowder is the only player who has proven to be a factor defensively over the course of his career, yet he is 33 years old with lots of mileage on his legs.
Something needs to change with the Bucks and perhaps these struggles are just growing pains with Adrian Griffin in his first year as the head coach. Milwaukee's defensive scheme has changed with zone principles being adapted and their rotations have been very limited to only eight or nine players. Maybe it is time for the Bucks to start utilizing some of their fresh, young legs.
MarJon Beauchamp is a player the Bucks are high on and rookie Andre Jackson Jr. has always been highly regarded for his defensive tendencies. While they are both still growing as players, especially offensively, they could really help keep this roster fresh and ready to go for the final quarter of games moving forward.
Defense, which has been the Bucks' calling card for years, is what currently holds Milwaukee back from being the best team in the league right now. If they can make the necessary changes to their defense, the Bucks will be able to figure out the overarching question pertaining to what their offense can achieve.
Who steps up outside of Giannis and Dame?
Even with Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton by his side the last couple of seasons, Giannis Antetokounmpo has been a one-man show. Thirty-point double-doubles, 40-point double-doubles, and the occasional 50-point double-doubles, like the one he had against the Pacers, are nothing new to Giannis. The two-time MVP has controlled everything about the Bucks' offense for years.
With Damian Lillard, the Bucks envisioned the two stars working in unison, that way Antetoounmpo did not have to carry all of the offensive burden for this team. When they've played together, Dame and Giannis have looked like one of the better duos in the league. The scary thing is that they are only going to get better in time as the chemistry builds.
Outside of these two superstars though, the Bucks seem to be limited in terms of who can hit a big shot or take over the game when either Lillard or Antetokounmpo are on the bench. This third guy is supposed to be Middleton, but he has struggled shooting the ball to begin the season and still seems a little off due to the minutes restriction Milwaukee has him on. The 19 points Middleton scored in 20 minutes against the Pacers was his best performance of the season so far.
The Bucks' two big men, Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis, were fantastic a season ago, combining for about 23 percent of the team's total scoring output. So far this year, these two are both struggling from three-point range and have combined to score just 17.7 percent of the team's total points on the season.
If the Bucks fix things on the defensive end of the court, it will lead to more fast break opportunities, which then leads to their offense working out some of the kinks that exist. Not factoring in defense, the bottom line is that Lopez and Portis need to succeed in order for the Bucks to reach their full potential.
Giannis and Dame are fantastic players and they will each have nights like Antetokounmpo had against the Pacers. In fact, there will be some nights where they each score 35-plus points and carry the load for the Bucks.
For this organization to win another championship this season, others outside of the two superstars will need to step up offensively and the defense will need to be better, especially in transition. Offense and defense go hand in hand acting as a check and balance for one another. When the offense plays well, the defense will follow, and vice versa.
Milwaukee has the pieces they need to find success. Now, it's all about executing their vision.
Follow Us
Subscribe