3 Milwaukee Bucks most to blame for awful start to 2024 season: Giannis has little help

The Milwaukee Bucks avoided what would've been yet another catastrophic loss by narrowly holding off the Houston Rockets, but all that win did was improve their record to 5-9. If the regular season ended today, the Bucks would not even be in a Play-In spot. That's how bad it's been.

Obviously, the Khris Middleton injury has impacted things, but it's abundantly clear that for several reasons, this Bucks team is not where it wants to be. The slow start has caused Giannis Antetokounmpo trade rumors to heat up.

These three individuals deserve to take on most of the blame for the season going as poorly as it has.

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3) Bucks GM Jon Horst did not assemble a championship-level roster

Jon Horst deserves a lot of credit for building a roster that won the 2020-21 NBA Championship, but since then, things have only gone south. The Bucks won one playoff series the following season before being sent home, and have lost in the first round in each of the last two seasons. Based on where things are going now, the Bucks might not even make the playoffs at all.

Some of their early exits have to do with injuries, but still - the Bucks have not met expectations, and Horst has made several questionable moves along the way.

The Adrian Griffin firing and Doc Rivers hiring could not have gone worse. Rivers has gone 22-28 as the head coach of the Bucks, while Griffin was 30-13 in that same role. The Damian Lillard trade has failed miserably. Jrue Holliday helped win a championship in Boston, while Lillard's fit with Giannis Antetokounmpo hasn't been nearly as dynamic as expected. Lillard's defense has proven to be a huge issue as well.

The depth on this Milwaukee roster is another area where Horst went wrong. It's tough for him to navigate the lack of cap space and draft picks, but part of that is his fault too. It was hard to envision this roster winning an NBA Championship before the season, and based on how things have started, it'd be shocking if the Bucks won a playoff round.

2) Gary Trent Jr. has not come close to living up to expectations

The Bucks' biggest move of the offseason saw them replace Malik Beasley with Gary Trent Jr. in the backcourt. It's safe to say that the move hasn't gone well thus far. Trent has averaged just 7.6 points per game on 34.5/31.6/92.9 splits to go along with 1.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 24.8 minutes per contest.

The 25-year-old has struggled defensively as well, and his overall woes forced Doc Rivers to move him to the bench. He's played better in a lesser role, but that's not why he was brought to town to begin with.

To make matters worse, Beasley has shined with the Detroit Pistons, averaging over 15 points per game and shooting 39.3 percent from downtown on over nine attempts. He has been the shooter that the Bucks need to space the floor for their stars. Trent's career numbers would suggest he'll turn things around, but as of now, he has not been close to the impactful guard he was brought in to be.

1) Damian Lillard continues to underwhelm as the Bucks' second star

The Bucks thought they were upgrading going from Jrue Holliday to Damian Lillard in the backcourt. The Lillard trade gave Milwaukee a clear-cut second star that they needed as they pushed for a championship. Lillard underwhelmed last season, and hasn't played like the superstar they were expecting this season, either.

Not only is the 34-year-old consistently picked on defensively, but he has not been as efficient as the Bucks would like for him to be on the offensive end. Sure, he's averaging over 25 points per game, but is shooting just 43.4 percent from the field and 32.7 percent from three-point range. He is having his second-worst season in his career from behind the arc.

Lillard has had some exceptional games, but has also had several duds. For example, he's shot 16 for his last 48 from the field over the last three games, averaging 17.0 points on 16 shots and shooting 33.3 percent overall. Just four games prior he shot 1-for-12 from the floor in a blowout loss in Memphis.

The Bucks need a consistent No. 2 option to pair with Giannis and Lillard has not been that this season. He's had his share of good games, but with their record at 5-9, the bad ones have outshined them. Lillard looked like a perfect fit with Giannis on paper, but has been anything but.