Milwaukee is 2-7 to start the season, and those wins came against a shorthanded 76ers team and the Utah Jazz, last-place teams in their respective conferences with a combined two wins to date.
Against a respectable team like the Knicks, the Bucks were crushed on Friday. Milwaukee trailed by 10 midway through the second quarter and never got within single digits again, trailing by as many as 30 en route to a 116-94 loss. After the match Giannis Antetokounmpo’s frustration boiled over, here are his quotes via Chris Herring of ESPN:
“Did we participate in the last game? Yes. Did we play against the two [games before that]? Yes. Did we fight today? No,’ he said. “…If you don’t compete hard, you’re not going to win the game. [You have to] at least give yourself a chance.
“We came to New York after playing great last night. Then we come here and lose by 30. Are you okay with not competing? I don’t agree with that stuff. We have Boston in two days. We If we If we don’t compete, we will lose by 30.”
In the games Antetokounmpo refers to, the Bucks played well, although the second one was against the Jazz, and right now everyone looks good against the Jazz. The other, however, was the undefeated Cavaliers and it took a game-winner from Donovan Mitchell for Cleveland to remain undefeated in that game. Still, the Bucks’ energy every night is one of the reasons fans stare at Doc Rivers.
Nine games into the season, Antetokounmpo might be asking: What is the identity of the Bucks? During their championship years under Mike Budenholzer, there was one obvious one: an elite defense that shot a lot of three-pointers and Antetokounmpo downhill into the paint. Whatever you think of Budenholzer, the playoff coach, this team knew who it was.
This season, the Bucks are 22nd in the league in defense (25th if you remove garbage time via Cleaning the Glass), 19th in three-pointers attempted in a game and 20th overall in offense.
The vibe around the Bucks was that they can turn this around: Khris Middleton wasn’t healthy, some players were just a little off, and they had a tough schedule (Cleveland twice, Boston once, then again). The reality is harsher than that. Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard just haven’t clicked and it still feels like they’re playing next to each other and not lifting each other up
other on. The Bucks lack depth – partly because they missed out on draft picks and free agents. Gary Trent Jr. looked like a great offseason addition but has already been removed from the starting lineup. This team is old and slow, and the younger, more athletic teams in the league – including the title contenders – are running right past them.
The Bucks should be better than 2-7, but to quote the great Bill Parcells, you are what your record says you are.
It seems like Antetokounmpo could be even more frustrated this season. Just don’t expect this to lead to him being traded during the season. It’s more likely that the Bucks will try to add talent, but they’ve traded away most of their assets and are over the second apron, so their options are very limited.
