It is no secret that the Milwaukee Bucks have been struggling. Tuesday’s loss to the Steph Curry-less Warriors was their fifth in seven games, dropping them a half game behind Indiana for fourth place in the Eastern Conference. This follows a mostly uncompetitive defeat at the hands of the Thunder, who were missing key starters Jalen Williams and Lu Dort.
Speaking to the media after the Golden State game, Doc Rivers sounded clearly impatient with the way the team is playing. He told reporters the offense is in a “funk” and lamented sloppy mistakes “that just can’t happen.”
Things are so bad that, per NBA insider Chris Haynes, Doc called a meeting with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard following the loss.
Doc Sought Insight from Giannis, Dame To Fix Milwaukee Bucks’ Flaws
Citing “sources,” Haynes did not mention any other players present for the emergency consultation. Haynes described the meeting as “an open forum for both stars to provide input on ways to improve the team.”
Here and there, Doc and Giannis have appeared to hold slightly different viewpoints about what has gone wrong during losses. After Doc critiqued players for their lack of physicality in the loss to OKC, Giannis told reporters they would “have to ask Coach” when presented with the same question. Antetokounmpo declined to cite specific shortcomings in that area. Rivers praised his star big man as being the only one who came to play.
Similarly, after Lillard bricked a low-percentage fadeaway at the buzzer in a two-point loss to the Magic, Giannis hinted that he is also an option at the end of games, potentially creating shots nearer the rim. While he said he had no issue with Dame taking that shot, reading between the lines would suggest he did not love the look the Bucks got.
Hopefully coach and players were able to hash out any differences during the meeting. Looking at it from a positive perspective, it is a good sign that Doc and his stars are in sync enough to talk things through productively. “It was a constructive session” Haynes continued, “with each individual being allowed to share their perspectives.”
Noting that the Bucks have hit a skid with the playoffs fast approaching, he characterized their situation as “definitely a dire time.”
Time Is Ticking
While Haynes’ use of the word “dire” might be an overreaction, Milwaukee certainly has some urgent issues to clean up. More than a few, Doc indicated when asked to specify the team’s problems:
“It’s everything. We’re missing shots, too, but we just don’t have the right spacing, the ball’s not moving, we’re not attacking, we’re not getting to the paint. I got a whole list, but we got to do it. And I got to get them to do it, that’s my job. It’s on me to get them to do it offensively and to trust. I think we get in these periods where we just stop trusting. We try to do it on our own, and that’s just not going to work.”
Giannis referenced several of the same points in his own press conference, particularly the lack of ball movement and sluggish spacing. He noted that against the Warriors, Taurean Prince, one of the team’s best snipers, was spending too much time waiting in the corner when Lillard had the ball, leaving Dame on an island to create something.
Milwaukee continues a rough five-game road trip Thursday against the Lakers. Dating back to the Orlando loss and extending through their next homestand, the Bucks will have played 14 straight against teams in the postseason hunt. With no so-called easy games upcoming, hopefully Doc and his guys can smooth out the bugaboos before playoff time.
For More Great Wisconsin Content
Follow me on X at @ezsniper14 and follow us @WiSportsHeroics for more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in Wisconsin sports, click here!
