It’s no secret that defense has been the Achilles heel of the Milwaukee Bucks this season. Their offense has had its ups and downs but for the most part, as long as you have a healthy Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard on your squad, you should be alright.
Defense, however, has been an entirely different story for Milwaukee thus far.
Jae Crowder Speaks Out on Milwaukee Bucks’ Defense
Jae Crowder’s injury absence has been even more pronounced amid Milwaukee’s defensive woes. Crowder isn’t exactly a Defensive Player of the Year candidate, but the 3-and-D wing brings some much-needed grit to the table for the Bucks’ defense.
Unfortunately for Milwaukee, they have not had the services of the veteran forward since Crowder underwent surgery to address an adductor injury a couple of months ago. He was supposed to return after eight weeks (which is this week), but at this point, there is still no firm target date for the 33-year-old’s comeback.
For his part, Crowder believes that the offense will take care of itself. The Bucks, however, need a lot of work on the defensive end.
“I’m looking at more the bigger picture,” he said, via Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “Like I’m here, we’re here right now in the present, but I am looking forward to the bigger picture of getting our team where we need to be. I feel like yeah, we’re winning games right now, but we’re not doing it in the fashion that we want to, in the sense of just defensive play. I think we have talent. Obviously, we have a lot of talent in the room and we have a lot of offense in the room, but if we can just focus on team defense and helping each other and building the trust that we need, I feel like we’re still doing that. I feel like every day we step on the court right now, it’s still — whatever, 30, 40 games in — we’re still building habits. We’re still building trust in one another.”
Crowder feels that he will be able to make a significant impact on defense once he is finally able to return to the court:
“And I think you see it, the up-and-down of our defense,” Crowder continued. “It’s just up and down right now. I think once everyone comes together and me coming back, using my voice, using my leadership where it needs to be, I think we’ll get better. I think our trust will keep continuing to build. I just feel like I’m not too caught up in the now right now in that sense, but we do have some work to do and I think that’s where I’m focused on, to get us where we need to be to moving into the playoffs.”
The good news here is that Crowder is closing in on his much-awaited comeback. He was recently cleared for five-on-five work, which only means that he should be back sooner rather than later.
For More Wisconsin Sports:
Follow me on Twitter at @PaoloSongcoNBA, and follow us @WiSportsHeroics. Also, check out our Merchandise Here! Get 20% off with the code “WSH.” You can also reach out to Paolo Songco via email at pao.songco@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Wisconsin sports, click here! Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Brewers, Milwaukee Bucks, Wisconsin Badgers.
