For three-plus years, the Milwaukee Bucks calling card has been defense. The team’s trade for Jrue Holiday in 2020 checked a multitude of boxes. Milwaukee finally had a point guard who could defend at an elite level and shut down the opposing team’s best wing player.
That all changed on Sept 27, 2023, when the Milwaukee Bucks swung the biggest trade of the decade, trading for Blazers G Damian Lillard for Jrue Holiday, Grayson Allen, and a couple of draft picks.
While the trade for Lillard was massive for the franchise, there was immediately a net negative to trading for Lillard. He doesn’t defend at an elite level or any level remotely close to Jrue Holiday.
The Milwaukee Bucks also lost Jevon Carter (via free agency.) Losing two significant defensive players: Jrue Holiday and Jevon Carter. Both had a significant impact on the team’s defense, and it’s likely not going to get better.
The Bucks were ranked 4th on defense with Jrue Holiday last season. They’re ranked 25th with Damian Lillard this season.
Dame is playing career-worst defense and is ranked 333rd in individual defensive rating.
Milwaukee's offensive rating is worse than last season too, while… pic.twitter.com/Bkpmy0iEXN
— Basketball Forever (@bballforever_) November 6, 2023
Why the Milwaukee Bucks’ team defense will take a significant step back this season?
The Bucks expected drop-off defensively should not be surprising. Simply put, they lost three premium defensive players, Carter, Wesley Matthews, and Holiday, and when that happened, there weren’t many options left to fill the void left by those three players.
The defensive scheme by Adrian Griffin for the first few games was puzzling. Brook Lopez should either be in drop coverage or have two feet glued in the paint. There is no reason why Lopez should guard a quicker wing player from outside the paint. That’s why Milwaukee has struggled to cover both areas so far this season because Lopez can’t move as quickly as the center in Toronto.
Milwaukee has capable defenders, but none that will help the team be in the top half of the Eastern Conference like they had been the past few seasons.
The offensive inefficiency is nothing to be concerned about because the team is still trying to find its identity offensively. Now that Giannis no longer has to be the focal point, he’s giving the keys to the offense to Damian Lillard. The only problem is that those guys haven’t played with each other before, and it might take a while for the team to find a groove offensively.
But, it’s nothing to be alarmed about because, with a new coach and new scheme, it was going to take time for the offense to mesh. Couple that with Terry Stotts leaving a week before the season, and you get an offense that hasn’t found its mojo yet. But in the next few weeks, it will be here.
For More Wisconsin Sports Content
Follow us @WiSportsHeroics for more content. To check out more top-tier Wisconsin Sports Content, click here!
