The Milwaukee Bucks' start to 2023-24 hasn't exactly gone as planned. Relative growing pains were always expected for Milwaukee in the season's first few weeks after bringing in Damian Lillard while losing Jrue Holiday and swapping Mike Budenholzer for Adrian Griffin on the sidelines. The new-look Bucks' performance in Wednesday's matchup with the Toronto Raptors, though, has nevertheless caused many fans to push an early panic button.

Milwaukee trailed Toronto 66-44 at halftime, an especially damning deficit considering the Raptors' extreme offensive labors entering the game. First-year coach Darko Rajakovic's team sported a league-worst 100.8 offensive rating across its first four outings, ranking dead last in the league. But it didn't matter against the Bucks, as Toronto racked up points with the type of extreme ease and efficiency that left Milwaukee faithful and league followers at large shaking their collective head.

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Effectively replacing Holiday with Lillard was always going to spark a defensive drop-off for Milwaukee, but the hope was that the continued presence of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez—who both finished top-six in Defensive Player of the Year voting a year ago—would help stem that tide as Lillard's presence juiced the Bucks' attack on the other end of the floor. It hasn't happened, and wholesale defensive changes implemented by Griffin are one of the biggest reasons why.

Milwaukee played a notably conservative defense under Budenholzer, walling off the paint at every opportunity. Griffin has opted for a far more active, opportunistic approach on that side of the ball this season, a shift that only exacerbates the downgrade his team is dealing with while going from Holiday to Lillard at point guard.

Lopez's defensive renaissance over the last few years came while stationed near the rim, and Antetokounmpo has always been most devastating waiting in help on the weak side and back line. Starting sharpshooter Malik Beasley next to Lillard in the backcourt ahead of Pat Connaughton or even sophomore wing MarJon Beauchamp has only made those problems worse.

It's far too early to write off the Bucks as title contenders. An acclimation period playing under Griffin was always inevitable even before they flipped their identity by bringing in Lillard. But the early returns certainly aren't encouraging, and that was the case even before another revamped, struggling team like the Raptors nearly ran them off the floor during Wednesday's first half.