The Bucks had an abysmal start to the season, but have since turned it around. They are 11-3 in their last 14 games and have qualified for the semifinals of the NBA Cup. Most would see that as a sign of progress, but Gilbert Arenas believes that Milwaukee has only made it this far on the back of their two superstars, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, and aren’t a team to be feared yet.
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In an extremely critical, but entertaining, rant about the team on the Gil’s Arena podcast, the retired guard claimed that the Bucks have one play that works, and they’ve stuck to it consistently. He sounded disappointed as he insinuated there was no diversity in the schemes that Doc Rivers drew up for the players and even suggested that the coaching staff load up NBA 2K25 to copy a few plays from the video game.
“There is no way you watched the [Bucks’] game and went ‘Oh my god this is a great team they are playing very well now.’ They don’t need to go to Vegas, they need to go to the practice facility, and practice new motherf**king plays. Go on NBA 2k. Go to anyone’s playbook, copy them sh*ts down, add them to your roster.”
The Bucks don’t deserve any credit yet 😤 pic.twitter.com/JycNM4SyJw
— Gilbert Arenas (@GilsArenaShow) December 13, 2024
He ended his rant by comparing them to the Lakers team that won three straight championships at the turn of the century. He said,
“It reminds me of early 2000. You had Kobe, you had Shaq, and then you had the pips. They just out there in the background, dancing, doing a little dance. No one came for them. That’s how this offense look.”
Arenas’ point about the Bucks’ offense rings true. The team is built around the two All-Stars, and due to a lack of complimentary pieces, their plays often get predictable.
The Milwaukee Bucks and their stale offense
The Bucks are climbing the Eastern Conference standings but their overall play leaves plenty to be desired. Apart from Antetokounmpo and Lillard, they haven’t had much production from their starters. Khris Middleton has played only three games since returning from his lengthy absence and is still finding his feet.
That’s not to say they are a bad team. Their 11-3 run suggests they are doing something right. But they’re becoming overly reliant on Giannis and Lillard’s brilliance, which isn’t sustainable. They do have some quality players on the roster.
Brook Lopez is a nifty shooter, and he didn’t earn the nickname ‘Splash Mountain’ for nothing. Taurean Prince is a solid three-point shooter too, and if they decide to, the Bucks can run the offense through any of their starters.
Unfortunately for Doc Rivers and Darvin Ham, the players outside Antetokounmpo and Lillard are unreliable. The coaching staff has to run the offense through their two superstars because that’s their best chance at scoring.
If teams can figure out a way to slow down the All-Star duo, they can overcome the Bucks pretty easily. But only three teams have managed to do that in the last 14 games. So Milwaukee won’t mess with a winning formula until it stops working.
