To say that the Milwaukee Bucks have been lackluster on the defensive end to begin the 2023-24 season would be an understatement. The Bucks, in the aftermath of trading away defensive ace Jrue Holiday, have been starting two below-average defenders in their backcourt, with Damian Lillard and Malik Beasley both struggling to contain dribble penetration. And on Thursday night, Beasley was the subject of an embarrassing defensive lowlight in the Bucks' 126-124 loss to the Indiana Pacers.

Beasley was always going to struggle when guarding Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton. Haliburton has a deep bag of tricks, and he's a master of changing speeds and manipulating defenses to manufacture tight openings. But the Pacers point guard did not need to do all that during this play. All Haliburton needed to do was point at Beasley's left to freeze the Bucks defender, as he expected a screen that never came, leading to easy dribble penetration for the Pacers and an eventual and-one layup for Bennedict Mathurin.

That defense won't fly at all during five-on-five pickup games at recreational centers, let alone in the NBA. It's a marvel just how unaware and lethargic Malik Beasley looked during that play, and it's that kind of perimeter defensive activity that explains why the Bucks are currently ranked 25th in defensive rating in the association.

The Bucks don't have much in the way of above-average defensive personnel, which will overtax Beasley on that end of the floor. Head coach Adrian Griffin even said before the season began that the 6'5 guard will have to take the toughest assignments most nights, and from the looks of it, there's simply no way that doing so is sustainable for a Bucks team with championship aspirations in the aftermath of trading for star point guard Damian Lillard.

At this point, with the Bucks looking for some defensive stability at the perimeter, there's certainly an opportunity for second-year forward Marjon Beauchamp to carve a bigger role in the rotation. This kind of defense from Malik Beasley, after all, simply won't cut it, especially when the Bucks are already starting another lacking defender in the backcourt.