The elephant in the room must be addressed in that Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo will be on the injured list for up to two weeks. Findings from an MRI showed that he has a low-grade left groin strain that occurred during the second quarter of the Cleveland Cavaliers game on Nov. 17.
Milwaukee has now dropped five straight games in a row, with three losses coming since the injury. The situation is again squarely because of the front office dickering with player personnel, specifically trying to surround Antetokounmpo with support in the paint. The strategy is outmoded and would seem to be a bust.
The Bucks won it all in 2021, and whether it’s firing coaches like Mike Budenholzer and Adrian Green, or making wildly myopic trades, they are not even close. They have been eliminated from the first round of the playoffs by the Indiana Pacers back-to-back, one with Antetokounmpo and guard Damian Lillard, sitting out.
Still Sold Out
As long as the Fiserv Forum is sold out on game night including the suites, management will not worry or even be concerned.
With an 8-10 record, out of playoff contention in the NBA Eastern Conference, and mired at fourth place in the Central Division, this could be the nadir of the 2025-2026 season so far.
Salt on the wound came Monday night with a 115-103 loss to the Portland Trailblazers. It should be recalled that guard Jrue Holiday was traded to Portland for Lillard, for offensive power only to suffer a leg injury. The $59.1 million owed to him was stretched out, as management waived him, making him free to sign with any team.
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Returning to the Trailblazers, he has averaged 24.9 points per game which is good for 10th place in league scoring. The Bucks even treated him to a video tribute before the game. It must be a pleasure to know you are paying him to play against you. Mercifully, both he and Holiday did not play because of injuries.
Change Focus?
However, the last three games have shown something to the Bucks as a team, even if they don’t see it yet. The focus is on Antetokounmpo, and everybody looks to the “Big Guy.” While every team should have a superstar, why depend on him? The rest of the squad is left floundering with the mindset that he must be in the line-up to win.
Change the focus to what you have…it again seems no one has thought of that, yet. Make the game plan follow whoever steps on the court and get their strengths into the game. There are so many players stepping up, and they do not lose games for the lack of effort.
Players like Ryan Rollins Kyle Kuzma, Bobby Portis Jr., Cole Anthony, Gary Trent Jr., and A.J. Green can form a formidable core group, if given the chance without a burden.
Bobby Portis is a threat at three-point range: against Portland (4-5 in three-pointers, 7-15 from the field, 22 points); against the Detroit Pistons (4-5, 7-10, 18 points); and the Philadelphia 76ers (1-1, 9-14, 19).
Scoring Points
In the 76ers game, a 123-114 overtime loss, Ryan Rollins poured in 32 points by shooting with a 50% field goal accuracy and also netted 24 points on the Pistons. Kuzma got 13 points in 16 minutes of playing time against Detroit, 17 points against the 76ers and 15 points against Portland.
Depending on themselves, with some alert coaching, equates to not worrying about Antetokounmpo and working as one unit. Playing as a team … if management can use Lillard as “The Grand Experiment,” then this concept is worth the time to pursue. There’s a lot of time until he is ready to play.
The Bucks come home to the Fiserv Forum play the Brooklyn Nets on Nov. 29.