After another discouraging season, the Milwaukee Bucks are looking to bounce back in the 2023-24 season. In the new season, GM John Horst and the Bucks’ front office brought in some new assets with a goal of bringing the Larry O’Brien trophy back to Milwaukee. The Bucks hired former Toronto Raptors Assistant Coach Adrian Griffin as their new Head Coach. Personnel wise, the Bucks decided to shake it up by trading All-Defensive Point Guard Jrue Holiday, starter Grayson Allen, along with a few picks for seven-time All-NBA Point Guard Damian Lillard. The Bucks are still very early into their season and haven’t necessarily asserted themselves as a true contender yet. With a quarter of the season completed, they find themselves at a comfortable 15-7 record which puts them at second place in the Eastern Conference, but the Bucks start is not as good as it looks. Milwaukee only has five +10 point victories and they lack a signature win. The Bucks struggles have come from individual hardships and lack of defensive intensity.

Damian Lillard fits into both of these categories. He was expected to make a big splash for Milwaukee’s offense as he has always been an elite scorer. After his 38 point outing to start the season, it looked like that was going to be the case. However, he has averaged an underwhelming 25.6 points, a mere team low 43.1% shooting from the field, and a fair 35.7% from the three-point line. This slow start is likely due to Lillard lacking the experience of being a second option. On the bright side, Dame has already fulfilled the purpose for trading for him in the first place. He has been extremely clutch so far. Currently, he has the most clutch points, having 69, and the Bucks have a 9-3 record in those games. Hopefully after time has passed, Dame will get over this slump and we’ll see his clutch level production through the entire game.

With the addition of Damian Lillard, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s MVP-caliber production was expected to take a slight dip, but that hasn’t been the case. In fact, Milwaukee has had to rely on Giannis heavily. Giannis has the third highest usage rate this year at 33.6. He has averaged 30.5 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 5 apg, and a career-high 61.4 fg%. Though Dame may take away from Giannis’ production in the long run, it’s clear that Giannis still has the ability to control games and is unstoppable in those situations. Bucks fans should expect Giannis to be himself throughout the season, which automatically makes Milwaukee a playoff lock team. 

Giannis is still only one part of the picture. Jae Crowder has been very solid for the Bucks off the bench. Starting the season shooting a scorching 52% from downtown, Crowder holds the 3-and-D role player that every team wants. If he keeps his shooting streak up, we could potentially see him in the starting and closing lineup. Unfortunately, Jae will not be included in any lineups; a left abductor and abdominal tear will sideline him for the next eight weeks.

In Crowder’s absence, Milwaukee has looked to their new free agent pickup Malik Beasley. So far, the eight-year veteran has put up 11.9 points on great efficiency including a 45.5% three-point average. Beauchamp clocks in around 30 minutes a game, but this will most likely decrease once Jae Crowder and Pat Connaughton return. This year, the Bucks, who have championship aspirations, need Malik to continue being a consistent shooter, and so far he is proving to be a valuable asset. As long as he is knocking down his shot, you’ll see Malik Beasley in the game.

In years past, having players like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez made the Milwaukee Bucks a top defensive team, but that has changed since the loss of Jrue Holiday. For the past three years, Milwaukee has placed in the top 15 in defensive rating. Now, they are standing at 22nd in the league’s defensive ratings ranks. This change is due to losing Jrue Holiday, and Adrian Griffin’s under-utilization of Brook Lopez. Brook finished as last year’s runner-up for the Defensive Player of the Year Award. He isn’t even in the early conversations for the award this year, due to Griffin’s system. Brook Lopez miraculously still leads the league in total blocks and blocks per game, but AG’s system brings some disadvantages with it. Lopez can be seen a lot on the perimeter this year. The Indiana Pacers, specifically guard Tyrese Haliburton, recently exposed how bad of a perimeter defender Lopez is by actively seeking the mismatch. The Bucks can still use the 7-footer as a traditional shot blocker, but in the clutch, the Bucks can’t afford to have Lopez in when the ability to switch on the perimeter is key.

Now that the season is a fourth of the way over, problems can be addressed and excuses can’t be made anymore. Our two biggest problems are clearly Damian Lillard’s inconsistency and the defensive scheme being used. These problems may be short-term or long-term, no one will really know. What many should know is that this has been the most drastic change in Milwaukee’s roster and staff in recent years, and adjusting to the changes is a process. There’s a numerous amount of possibilities that may await the Milwaukee Bucks and only time will tell their fate.