Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks began the season successfully, building an 8–5 record. However, the team has recently dropped eight of their last nine contests, including a close 126–129 loss to the Washington Wizards on Monday evening.
This poor run leaves the Bucks outside of the play-in spots in the Eastern Conference. The seven-game slide has naturally caused many observers to ask about the long-term path the organization will take.
Giannis needs to be held accountable for the situation the Bucks are in, says Lou Williams 🗣️
"You bring in Doc Rivers, you fire Adrian Griffin… all of these were decisions that Giannis was a part of."@MichelleDBeadle | @boogiecousins | @ChandlerParsons | @TeamLou23 pic.twitter.com/5gB1R4Pt1G
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) December 2, 2025
Lou Williams, a former NBA Sixth Man of the Year and veteran guard, argues that the Bucks have not played at a championship level since moving Khris Middleton and says Giannis Antetokounmpo must take some responsibility for their troubling slide.
“Since the Khris Middleton trade, we haven’t seen the Milwaukee Bucks that competed in a championship years back,” Williams remarked in his appearance on the Run it Back podcast.
Lou Williams on Giannis Antetokounmpo
Nov 28, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) dribbles up court during the first half against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
“They are very far from where they were on that team. And it’s just a bad mix of guys, but I don’t know what flexibility they have to even make this better.”
The trade for Damian Lillard generated a short-lived surge of optimism, but it failed to alter the team’s direction. After Lillard tore his Achilles and eventually returned to Portland, the road ahead remained daunting. Signing Myles Turner addressed some needs, but it was never a move capable of fundamentally changing the Bucks’ trajectory.
“At this point, you know, you bring in Doc Rivers. You just fired Adrian Griffin a few years back, and all of these were decisions that Giannis was a part of, and that he had a say in. Now this thing is blown up. We’re talking about trade talks that we started talking about last year. It’s a lot of responsibility to go around, a lot of accountability to go around for the Milwaukee Bucks,” Williams continued.
Nov 28, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) looks back during the second half against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
The Bucks keep faltering. Giannis has consistently committed to Milwaukee, eager to remain with the franchise that believed in him from the start. Yet the team is now mired in one of its toughest stretches in years.
“You can start anywhere. You can start in the locker room, talking about how guys have to change their mindsets. You can talk about coaching, or you can talk about where they are at with the salary cap. Nonetheless, it’s a bad position that the Milwaukee Bucks are in, and I don’t see this getting better right now,” Lou Williams concluded.