The Milwaukee Bucks appeared to be on pace to be at least the second seed in the Eastern Conference, but their latest results under new head coach Doc Rivers has pushed them down to 3rd with less than 30 games remaining. Don’t get me wrong, Milwaukee is still on the run to get out of the East in 4 months from now, but they will have to improve drastically to have a chance against the Boston Celtics.
That said, the Bucks have gone 3-7 under Rivers having a 32-14 record after putting together a 32-14 record beforehand. Aside from the coaching situation, Milwaukee will have to create the right environment around their star duo of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. The pair has been great together as they have worked well enough to bring the Bucks closer to the rest of the title contenders.
Despite the fact that Dame and Giannis are working well as a pair, and they have upheld their production to a respectable level despite shooting the ball poorly. The fact that Damian Lillard hasn’t been shooting the ball well has hurt the Bucks chances, however, the 8-time All-Star is stiil active with his play and put defenses on notice.
The rest of the Bucks roster has not dwelled well with the former Portland Trail Blazers superstar on some occasions especially defensively, and that could be attributed to roster construction and the lack of size in the wings. In any case, the Bucks’ effort in defense has been there during the last 10 games allowing a defensive rating of 113.6 points.
Rivers has upheld his promise to improve the Bucks’ defensive efficiency, but the team hasn’t been the same firing in all-cylinders offense since the firing of Adrian Griffin.Doc Milwaukee ranked 5th in offensive rating in the first 46 games of the season. They fell to 22nd during the last 10 games after Doc Rivers took over the job.
That said, offensive struggles cannot be attributed only to Rivers’ influence as the Bucks elected to change coaches amidst a tough stretch with games against big-time groups from the East and the West and with Khris Middleton missing the last 5 games before the All-Star break.
Evaluating the Dame – Giannis pairing after 10 games under Doc Rivers
Both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard have been vocal about their partnership and how they can help the rest of the team become better with them on the floor. Damian Lillard has struggled from any shooting range this season, his first away from Portland, but the two-man play of Dame-Giannis have not been the problem for the Bucks.
The two superstars appeared together for 1.335 minutes so far this season. The Bucks are scoring a gargantuan 122.1 points per 100 possessions when they are on the floor and have a net rating of a plus-10.1. Damian Lillard is averaging 17.7 passes and 2.1 assists per game to Giannis, while the 2021 NBA champion is doing the same for Dame having 17.1 passes and 1.0 assists per contest.
That said, the two stars are really trying to find each other on the floor and work on their communication. Giannis is a willing passer this season averaging a career-high 6.4 assists so far with 26 games remaining having already 7 triple doubles under his name. The Bucks are 3rd in the league in “Open” (closest defender to 4-6ft) field goal attempts averaging 26.7 and they are 6th in “open” threes with 14.5 attempts per game.
Those numbers obviously can be attributed to the attention that Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard demand from the opponent’s defenses. However, things still do not work during the last 10 games under head coach Doc Rivers. More specifically, the Bucks remain out of the top-10 in both categories (open FG and open 3s) in shooting percentages. Their offense seems willing to move but the ending product is not there.
The Bucks are shooting 30.3% on open threes and just 42.9% in open FG attempts during the last 10 contests. There were still bad in making open shots all season (34.7% on open threes, 45% on open FG). Creating open shots and easy points has been the name of the game in the NBA during the 3-point renaissance, and the Milwaukee Bucks have been bad in doing that all season despite their more than enough offensive firepower.
Milwaukee Bucks organization next goal to focus on Damian Lillard
The Milwaukee Bucks organization has done a real effort to focus on Lillard and his individual improvement, especially in the shooting department. Lillard’s trade last summer activated some concerns around perimeter defense and how the Bucks can cut their loses on that end with Jrue Holiday leaving the team.
However, the target is to push Lillard and build its confidence in shooting the ball as the Bucks know that the 8-time All-Star will be the “closer” of the team in the playoffs. That’s where Giannis focused during the All-Star weekend speaking about how the Milwaukee’s team also Lillard’s team.
That said, Lillard has to get out of his shooting slump. The 2024 All-Star MVP is shooting a career-low 34% on 8.5 threes per game and just 42.3% from the field in 17.5 attempts. He’s still putting up almost 25 points, but doing it more efficiently will go a long way of fixing the Bucks’ offensive struggles during that point of the season.
Bucks hope that Dame’s surge during the All-Star weekend can help the superstar guard find his footing for the last part of the 2023/24 NBA season campaign. Lillard had the chance to talk with Giannis Antetokounmpo during the weekend about the current situation in Milwaukee and what they can do to help the team realize its potential.
Aside from Lillard, the Bucks need a more focused approach to keep the team active in offense and create the right amount of pressure on both ends. Lillard working well with the rest of the squad and Doc Rivers being more opened minded in finding solutions for the lack of size and athleticism in the Milwaukee’s forward rotation will be crucial for their success going forward.
