It’s an evergreen story for these Milwaukee Bucks. Anytime they face a certified contender, they get thrown into the woodchipper. Over the weekend, the Bucks squandered a chance to close in on the New York Knicks and the third seed in the Eastern Conference.
During the Bucks' winning streak, they were practically ignored by the national media. Their primetime Sunday night matchup was a chance to showcase their legitimacy. Instead, they wound up getting whipped in the second half of a back-to-back at home against Cleveland.
Losing two straight games over the weekend was the worst-case scenario for a group that found themselves within reach of the Knicks after winning eight of nine games. Jalen Brunson’s ankle sprain left the Knicks vulnerable. He’s their best clutch-time scorer, distributor, and creator.
In consecutive losses, the Bucks reminded everyone why they’re the George Santos of NBA contenders. After losing to more upper-echelon competition, Milwaukee is 0-9 against the three teams tucked above them in the standings.
Bucks needs their own Kenny Atkinson
A year ago, the Cavaliers were in a similar position. JB Bickerstaff wasn’t getting it done. They yielded the seventh-best defensive unit per 100 possessions, and fielded the 16th-best offensive unit in the league, but had a deep, youthful roster lacking in a-List talent. Atkinson has executed a turnaround not seen since Steve Kerr enlivened the Golden State Warriors offense with his tiki-taka-inspired offense.
The Bucks have been devoid of innovation. The panorama of the Cavaliers' season stands in antithesis to Milwaukee’s inertia. Atkinson has them maximizing their components into a nauseatingly skilled No. 1 seed.
Twice, Bucks ownership passed on Atkinson, previously a Warriors assistant to hire Adrian Griffin, and then Doc Rivers. Atkinson was the perfect hire at the right time for Cleveland.
Meanwhile Doc Rivers has Lillard and Antetokounmpo taking midrange jumpers at a league-high rate. Unfortunately, their static offense lacks the ball movement needed to get their supporting cast quality shots. In clutch time, they're one of the NBA's worst offenses. Rivers and Jon Horst are still scouring for answers and they're running out of time. It's beginning to look like they shouldn't be the ones leading the search.
Bucks squandered the opportunity to catch the Knicks
In the final 1:24 of overtime of a Thursday night primetime contest between the Los Angeles Lakers and Knicks, Jalen Brunson elevated for a layup amid a crowd and rolled his ankle at a 90-degree angle landing on the foot of Lakers guard Austin Reaves. New York dropped their matchup with the Knicks, a subsequent game against the Clippers, and lost Brunson, which should have provided an opening for Milwaukee to make a move on the No. 3 seed.
However, Milwaukee’s losses in back-to-back games on Sunday gave the Knicks breathing room to rest comfortably. Brunson’s ankle sprain is expected to keep him out for at least two weeks, but it doesn’t benefit Bucks if they’re incapable of making a dent in the standings by stringing together wins of their own. Milwaukee has the league’s sixth-toughest remaining schedule and they still haven’t been able to lock down a single victory against the league’s Tier 1 contenders.
Here's a sampling of what awaits the Bucks through the end of the month.
- Los Angeles Lakers 2x (minus LeBron James)
- Indiana Pacers 2x
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Sacramento Kings
- Phoenix Suns 2x
- Denver Nuggets
- New York Knicks
Kyle Kuzma is a waste
Their big trade deadline acquisition isn’t doing them any favors either. At least Gary Trent Jr. is shooting an above-league-average clip from the field with a 57 percent effective field goal rate. Brook Lopez adds value as a rim protector who simultaneously spaces the floor.
Kuzma replaced stalwart Khris Middleton and vanishes every night. His negatives and positives cancel each other out. His shooting splits are abysmal and he’d be an invisible man if he weren’t the wing they acquired in return for the beloved Middleton. His defensive contributions are barely league average and his capacity for making teammates better is practically nil. If he can’t even shoot at league average as the third option playing off of Lillard and Antetokounmpo, then he’s a wasted asset.
The Bucks winning streak was fool’s gold. In a seven-game series, their tertiary scorers are flawed and one-dimensional while no reinforcements are coming via the draft or in the form of young, up-and-coming talent. The walls are closing in on the Bucks.