Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks picked up their first victory under new head coach Doc Rivers on Saturday, beating the Dallas Mavericks 129-117 thanks to a 25-point comeback.
After the game, Antetokounmpo posted on social media with a reminder that harkens back to the Bucks' mentality under former coach Mike Budenholzer.
“It all starts from the defense. Then the offense comes easier,” Antetokounmpo said.
The Bucks' oddly disappointing season so far
Despite sporting a 33-16 record, good enough for second in the Eastern Conference, the Bucks' 2023-24 season has been unsteady. The team fired first-year head coach Adrian Griffin on Jan. 23 after the locker room reportedly lost faith that the former Toronto Raptors assistant could lead the Bucks back to an NBA championship. The team opted to replace the rookie coach Griffin with one of the most experienced men on the market, Doc Rivers, who won a title in 2008 with the Boston Celtics and has since coached the Los Angeles Clippers and Philadelphia 76ers to less-than-satisfying postseason results.
Rivers' appointment garnered some criticism for his lack of playoff success since his tenure leading the Celtics more than a decade ago. However, many analysts have remained confident Rivers can, at the very least, help Antetokounmpo and star point guard Damian Lillard gel as a tandem, as well as stabilize an uncharacteristically poor Bucks defense.
In their first season together since Lillard's offseason trade from the Portland Trail Blazers to the Bucks, Antetokounmpo and the All-Star point guard's chemistry has been slow to develop. In particular, the pair's pick-and-roll hasn't come along as quickly or been deployed as much as many thought it may.
Additionally, and certainly more worrying, the Bucks' defense has languished in the bottom half of the league for the entire season. Although some defensive drop-off was expected with the departures of Jrue Holiday, Jevon Carter, Wesley Matthews, and Grayson Allen, as well as the defensive-oriented Budenholzer, Milwaukee has allowed 116.2 points per 100 possessions this season, the 13th-worst mark in the NBA.
The Bucks have attempted to combat their defensive woes with blistering offense — their 120.1 points scored per 100 possessions is third-best in the league — but a much stiffer defense will certainly be needed in the playoffs if the Bucks have a chance to capture their second title in four years. And since firing Griffin, the Bucks' defense has seemed to improve; the team has not allowed more than 120 points in that six-game span after having 23 such games during Griffin's 43-game stint.
A night after beating Luka Doncic and the Mavericks, the Bucks continue their Western Conference road trip Sunday in Utah.
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