B/R
Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo isn’t happy with the team’s 1-2 start to open the new NBA season.
“Right now, we don’t have an identity,” he told reporters following a 115-102 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday. “How are we going to win the game? Are we going to defend for 48 minutes? Are we going to move the ball for 48 minutes? Are we going to attack? We’ve gotta find an identity. We don’t have that right now.”
While Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard combined for 43 points, the Bucks shot 30.3 percent from beyond the arc and turned the ball over 18 times. The rebuilding Nets also had a 47-43 edge in rebounding and outscored Milwaukee 38-34 in the paint.
It’s far too early to ring any alarm bells, but Giannis’ comments are concerning because the Bucks have lacked a firm identity since the start of last year.
Some will argue the championship window with their current core has already closed. Lillard didn’t have his expected effect on their offense. Khris Middleton had an offseason surgery for the third year running. Doc Rivers posted a losing record as head coach in the second half after replacing Adrian Griffin.
The hope was that having a full offseason with Rivers at the helm would make a difference. It was also tough for Lillard to find a comfort zone in Milwaukee when he got traded so close to opening night and then had to adjust to a coaching change.
Here we are and the Bucks are still waiting for everything to click.
Falling short of the conference finals at the very least would probably be considered a disaster for the organization given its aging roster and few remaining assets that can be leveraged to augment the squad.
That’s an outcome that’s steadily looking more likely.
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