Milwaukee Bucks links for your perusal on October 28th, 2024
The Milwaukee Bucks are 1-2 on the 2024-2025 season and are absolutely deserving of that record. What has gone wrong (plenty) and what has gone right so far? I’ll give it my best shot to boil the start down its base components in my eyes:
- Damian Lillard has looked stronger offensively compared to last season, but his on-ball separation speed seems a little suspect still (to me). On defense, he’s very bad.
- Gary Trent Jr. is a definite upgrade over Malik Beasley on defense. However, he is not nearly good enough to stabilize the perimeter if an opponent has more than one decent ball handler on the court at a time.
- Giannis Antetokounmpo has had stretches where he’s fit like a glove in a team offensive approach that emphasizes off-ball actions/movement. Then he’ll call his own number and look like a sore thumb out of places at times. If he gets a defender on his hip he’s still automatic, but his first thought isn’t to attack in a way to see if he can generate looks like that every possession. A work in progress.
- His effort on defense is… suspect at times.
- Brook Lopez has returned to the zone drop and, per my colleague Adam Paris, opponents are shooting ~30% at the rim with Lopez defending. An opponent with a spacing big, though, causes the whole setup a ton of trouble, though.
- Everyone else is just kind of there. Delon Wright and Taurean Prince have been fine additions, Pat Connaughton came back to life for a game before falling back to the pack, Bobby Portis.
- Coaching has looked a little inflexible through a very small sample size. They drew up a great plan against a Sixers team who only had Maxey to focus on. Chicago had some red flags in the first half that weren’t addressed until the third quarter, and even then not in any sustained manner. The rotation is eight men deep now (plus AJ Green cameos). Either the young guys are so bad as to not be worth a try, the staff is fully committed to the project of fitting the vets together ASAP, or we’ve picked the eight we like and are going to keep with them regardless of performance within a game.
On the upside, I’d say none of this is back-breaking (we’re just three games in!). On the downside, some of these issues bleed over from the end of last season with the added troubles of integrating a new third of the playable rotation and Antetokounmpo finding his feet again post-injury and post-Olympics.
Just their luck to run into the Boston Celtics with so many questions still needing to be answered. Good luck to ‘em.
Let’s roundup!
Milwaukee Bucks Links
Giannis Antetokounmpo will demand a shakeup (Hot Takes We Might Actually Believe) (Yahoo)
This article was perfectly timed to release just before this feels-bad-man start to the season, and it will certainly have you thinking! There are some cap maneuverings available to the front office starting next summer and beyond, but that will require either getting more team-friendly deals from the aging veterans, letting guys walk (asset minimization!!!), or trading core pieces for $.50 on the dollar in the hopes that something sparks. Overall trends remain a concern even when the team wins. When they lose? Woof.
Milwaukee Bucks Owners Bid To Bring WNBA Team To City (Urban Milwaukee)
With an arena just hanging around looking for acts to fill it in the summer and the upcoming boom in WNBA TV rights relative to their current position, this makes sense. It appears the competition will be stiff to get one of the few expansion slots, but I’ll be rooting for the team’s bid!
Bucks player Andre Jackson Jr. crashes car into downtown Milwaukee apartment building (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
Please don’t text and drive, people! Also, be careful that you don’t take Milwaukee street corners at an unreasonably high speed! The potholes can be just as brutal as the brick walls on your car’s exterior.
Why attacking ‘weaker’ NBA defenders on switches may not be a good strategy (SB Nation)
This was an interesting article Van sent my way (thank you!) which has some relevance given the whole, you know, Damian Lillard thing. While I find the statistics in here valuable and a little surprising, the authors’ explanations seem to make sense logically. The issue around Dame, however, is that he often doesn’t even switch off the screen quick enough or stand his ground in front of his man assignment well enough to even properly isolate to cover. He’ll have good moments here or there before promptly being peeled out of the possession by the first screen sent his way. Something to keep an eye on for both the Bucks and whoever they’re playing against.
2024-25 NBA Arena Rank: TD Garden, MSG and more (ESPN)
Not surprised in the least that the Forum makes a top 10 appearance here when ranked for accessibility/location — it is in a great spot — concessions, amenities, and fan experience. If the team ever bothers to have another deep playoff run again to make the attached Deer District relevant, watch out.
Know Your NBA Enemy
Boston Celtics – Celtics Blog – Mission Unpossible: can anyone actually guard the Jays?
It pains me to be posting stuff like this, but I know we have a preponderance of Simpsons appreciators on the staff, and it also feels appropriate to acknowledge that Tatum and Brown are skilled enough to methodically pick the average opponent apart any given night.
Memphis Grizzlies – RIP Grizzly Bear Blues
Its successor, Bluff City Media, is mostly podcasts/YouTube stuff at this point. Not relevant for a written forum like this column.
Cleveland Cavaliers – Fear the Sword – Cavs’ backcourt duo of Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland need to show more consistency
If it is any cold comfort to those of us who continue to harp on the number of Bucks offensive possessions where it becomes a “watch Dame and/or Giannis do stuff while I stand around out here” muckfest, at least we aren’t alone in that issue! Well, the Cavs had that problem last year, at least.
The Social Media Section
Yep #LockedIn
Chill out with the “pay me” hand signaling when we have a .333 win percentage, and we’re good
He will never give up the ‘hawk
Does he mean vote?
Delon set the table and GTFO of the lane
Riley’s 2024-2025 Prediction Record: 0-3
Milwaukee Bucks 2024-2025 Actual Record: 1-2
An astounding start to my prediction season. I promised to eviscerate the team if they lost to either the Bulls or the Nets. Instead, I’m merely further immersed in stultifying indifference.
To the week ahead!
@ Boston Celtics, Monday, Oct. 28th — 6:30 PM (Central)
@ Memphis Grizzlies, Thursday, Oct. 31st — 7:00 PM (Central)
v. Cleveland Cavaliers, Saturday, Nov. 2nd — 7:00 PM (Central)
I’m going to say 1-2 this week with the win coming at the Grizzlies. Not because I think there is a great matchup there, but the first Lopez-Edey matchup in NBA history should be a barn burner that (hopefully) gets the team in gear for a decent road win. Then the team will fall to 2-4 on the year and we can continue grumbling here a week from today!
Happy Monday!