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The Indiana Pacers sent the Milwaukee Bucks home for the second straight year in the first round. Unfortunately, it's back to the drawing board for the Bucks. It has been a rollercoaster season for Milwaukee. After a nightmare 2-8 start, Milwaukee reignited its championship hopes after winning the NBA Cup.
But since then, the Bucks have been hit by injuries, capped off by Damian Lillard's diagnosis with deep vein thrombosis. While Lillard eventually returned in the first-round series against the Indiana Pacers, another major injury scare followed the All-Star guard, becoming the nail in the coffin for Milwaukee's title hopes.
Despite Giannis Antetokounmpo's monster series, the Pacers' balanced attack proved to be too much. While Lillard's availability played a huge part in another early playoff exit, the team also had other issues that caused their downfall. For this piece, let's take a look at the three Milwaukee Bucks who are most to blame for the playoff crash-out vs. the Pacers.
Damian Lillard's health issues
The Bucks pretty much hobbled their way to the end of the 2024-25 season, closing the regular season without their secondary superstar. His absence was so critical that the Pacers took Game 1 and stole Game 2 when he returned from the blood clot issue. Although Lillard's return was welcomed, he was far from game shape after being sidelined for over a month.
Signs of rust were evident, as the nine-time NBA All-Star only shot 4-of-13 from the field for 14 points in Game 2. In the following game, Lillard scored only seven points, hitting only 1-of-8 from the field, as the Bucks scored their lone win of the series. But in Game 4, Lillard suffered another career-threatening injury, which turned out to be a torn Achilles tendon.
Sidelined indefinitely, Milwaukee was forced to endure the rest of the series without one of its focal points on offense. Indiana trashed the team, 129-103 in Game 4 before closing out the series with a 119-118 overtime win in Game 5, thanks to a game-winner by Tyrese Haliburton. It's safe to say that Lillard's absence ultimately affected the complexion of the series, spoiling another herculean series by Giannis.
Kyle Kuzma fails to deliver on expectations
At this year's trade deadline, the Bucks got busy when they swapped All-Star Khris Middleton for former NBA champion Kyle Kuzma. There's no question that Kuzma was expected to be the squad's third-best scoring option next to Giannis and Lillard. In a Bucks uniform, Kuzma averaged 14.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per outing on 45.5% shooting from the floor during the regular season. However, he was far from the same player in the postseason.
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During the first round matchup against Indiana, Kuzma only contributed 5.8 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per game on 34% shooting from the field and converting only 20% of his shots from beyond the arc. He kicked off the series in historically miserable fashion, tallying zeros across the board in 21 minutes of play in the Bucks' 117-98 Game 1 loss. With the exception of Game 2, the Bucks forward also never finished in double figures in scoring, while ending the entire series with a -43.
After a first-round exit at the hands of the Pacers, Kuzma's trade deadline acquisition doesn't look good for the Bucks. In fact, Rivers even benched him in Game 5. Unfortunately, Kuzma failed to deliver as the expected difference maker for Milwaukee's championship aspirations.
Gary Trent Jr.'s up-and-down series
It was a mixed bag for Gary Trent Jr., after his first-round performance for the Bucks that went for naught. He averaged a solid 18.8 points per game on 51.6% shooting from the field and 50.0% from rainbow country. His best game came in Game 3, when he exploded for 37 points, which was spiked by 9-of-12 shooting from deep to prevent Milwaukee from falling down to 0-3 in the series. However, there were also plenty of inconsistencies outside of his Game 3 masterclass.
Trent was a non-factor in Games 2 and 4, putting up only four and six points, respectively. He was also a -25 in Game 4. In the season-ending loss, the 6-foot-5 guard scored 33 points, hitting eight threes in the process. However, his huge scoring night was overshadowed by two crucial turnovers in the clutch that ultimately allowed the Pacers to mount an 8-0 run to escape with the win in Game 5.
Although Trent deserves credit for helping Milwaukee stay afloat in the series, especially when Lillard went down with an injury, he's also partly responsible for the team's major collapse that squashed their playoff hopes. There's no question that Trent did his best to step up for the Bucks. Unfortunately, Lillard's shoes were simply too big to fill. Furthermore, with their season on the line, the margin of error was simply too small.
