The Milwaukee Bucks are in the midst of a very difficult stretch at the moment. After suffering a loss in their recent game at home, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Co. went 1-2 in their recent three-game road trip. Amid the three losses, Antetokounmpo was the most livid after the fixture against the Houston Rockets. Going on a passionate rant, the Greek Freak expressed his disappointment in the team’s uninspiring defensive efforts.
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Even though the Milwaukee Bucks ultimately suffered a 108-112 loss, what’s arguably worse is that they once allowed the Rockets to grab a lead as large as 21 points. Given that fact, defense was always going to be a topic that would’ve been brought up postgame. Giannis Antetokounmpo had a solid 48-point-17-rebound double-double. Despite a stellar display, honoring his role as the leader of the team, the forward didn’t mince his words while criticizing his side’s defense.
“Your defensive effort, though, has got to be there. And defensively, our effort was not there. There was no pride. Guys were just driving the ball, straight line drive, getting to the paint, overhelping, shooting threes, offensive rebounds. There was nothing. This was not the Milwaukee Bucks. This is not who we are,” Giannis said.
This year, the Bucks’ defense placed in the bottom 10 in the league with a subpar defensive rating of 115.8. For comparisons, the franchise was ranked #4 last season with 110.9 DEFRTG. Clearly, defense has continued to remain a point of concern, much like it has been even during the Bucks’ highs this season.
There are two major reasons behind their sudden tumble. Apart from the excellence of Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez, Jrue Holiday also played an integral part in carrying the team’s defensive load. Further, Mike Budenholzer always stressed upon the importance of defense during his time as the Bucks’ head coach.
To be fair, Griffin is in the midst of his first season as the head coach in Milwaukee, while the team was unable to replace the two-way capabilities of Holiday, something that inflicted serious damage to the team’s overall quality on that end of the floor. While Damian Lillard has been outstanding on offense, his contributions on the defensive end just haven’t been enough.
Until Dame can amend that, defense will likely remain a problem for the Milwaukee Bucks.
While Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded a 48-point double-double, Damian Lillard had a lackluster performance
Giannis Antetokounmpo carried the team on both sides of the floor. On the other hand, Damian Lillard, who has otherwise been offensively exceptional this season, had a subpar offensive outing. Playing 38 minutes, Dame recorded just 18 points and 8 assists. His inefficiency is what caught everyone by surprise. He shot the ball at just 31.3% from the field and just 12.5% from the three-point field line. In the end, Lillard ended up with an abysmal box plus-minus of -11.
Dame DOLLA has not witnessed success, offensively, to begin the new calendar year. Amid the 1-3 stretch, the 33-year-old has averaged just 19.8 points. Having made just 24 of the 69 shots he has taken from the field and 5 of 31 from three-point land, Lillard is clearly not in rhythm. Looking at all the facts, it is quite clear that the star guard’s awful outings have been a big reason behind the team’s failures.
Addressing the same issue during the postgame conference, the seven-time All-Star simply demanded more of the ball.
Lillard needs to get out of this slump as quickly as possible. Despite the losses suffered in the past week, the team hasn’t tumbled down in the standings. However, as their cushion ahead of the #3 Philadelphia 76ers decreases, they will want to get back to winning ways as soon as possible.
